


Freedom's Captive

by Ana_Romantic



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Based after first movie, F/M, Major rewrite, Not Canon after first movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 92,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22358638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ana_Romantic/pseuds/Ana_Romantic
Summary: With tragedy behind her, all Katerina wanted was a chance to be herself and to be accepted for who she was.  For true freedom.  When the bonds of society are ripped away, she may have found just what she was looking for on the open sea and in a certain captain.  Rewrite of “Piracy, Lust and then Love” Jack/OC, Double Posted on Fanfiction.net
Relationships: Elizabeth Swann/Will Turner, Jack Sparrow/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 79





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> You will have to pardon the dust, it has been years since I have been behind my writing desk. For one inexplicable reason I was drawn back to my stories that I wrote when I was still in high school- some that I have not touched in over ten years. I reread one in particular all the way through and thought that maybe some historical facts should be checked- maybe some grammar should be corrected-maybe a character needed some (a lot of) tweaking... and maybe a pirate should discover love yet again.  
>  That's right! I am certifiably mad, but I have the writing bug again, and believe me, the little bugger doesn't like to wait long.  
> This is a rewrite of my story “Piracy, Lust and then Love” that I had posted back on Fanfiction.net when I was still in high school. I re-titled it just because as a person I've grown and I believe that my stories should grow as well as the characters that reside in them.  
>  I understand that this will be an AU since the sequel and other movies came out. This is based off of the first movie only, but I may just borrow some familiar faces that show up in some sequels. We will see where my imagination takes me. Things may change- some small and some really big! People may change too... a bit- but no worry, they are all the same at heart. I hope you will enjoy this new revamp and the ride that comes with it.  
>  To readers old and new, I wish you happy reading as always.  
>  ~Ana

**Prologue:**

Port Royal was the jewel of the Caribbean- the picture of English opulence and ingenuity in the midst of a tropical paradise. The docks were surrounded by tradesmen and markets that sold or bartered anything the heart desired or required. Honorable tradesmen continued the work with their skills in short time becoming artisans worthy of selling their wares in the popular marketplace. Their families lived in relative peace with a fort full of His Majesties best Naval Officers within a stone's throw. Many children ran through the streets after livestock or in a friendly race against one another.

Far on the hill past the busy port streets stood the large mansions and homes of the elite. Pillars and walls of white covered with the native tropical fauna that refused to surrender to progress. The impressive homes reached to the sky and the English flags that waved proudly from their pinnacles cut through the clouds that ventured too low. These homes kept their occupants comfortable and safe- nobles far from the shores of their fair England who were called to the Caribbean with the promise of new opportunities and an easy life by the sea.

One such elite was a man named Arthur Benikins. He did not hold an important title like Governor or Commodore, but he was known for his business savvy and knowledge of property value. He had his hand in every large deal that passed through Port Royal, from property acquisitions to the best crops to invest in. Nothing seemed to phase or scare the man when it came to business.

His home was one of the tallest on the island, though much more humble than that of the new governor that was soon to arrive. The Benikin's Estate was surrounded by acres of spare wilderness and what was hopeful to be sugarcane. The pristine walls and windows of the manor seemed to shine behind the heavy iron bars of its front gates, protection against all the miseries and tragedies of the world that lurked outside.

Outside of his business dealings, Arthur held closely to his three children and his beautiful wife. Cecilia was a beautiful woman, a good fifteen years younger than her husband, but that was not unheard of. Her eyes were of the darkest brown, almost black under the starlight, and her hair the straightest strands of ebony. Her voice lifted the spirits of all who heard her, especially if she was tempted to share a song. A talent that pleased her husband to no end while in social circles and gatherings.

Cecilia gifted her husband three children- a daughter, the eldest, born before their voyage from England and two boys a few years after their arrival. The girl was a smaller vision of her mother to the absolute smallest detail. Her fiery spirit and charm won over many hearts, despite her young age of eight and fascination with books. The two boys were twins who couldn't be more different. The older of the two five year-old's was to follow in his father's footsteps. Young Jacob was a spitting image of his father, from his chestnut hair to his hazel eyes and an innate skill with numbers. The youngest, Caleb, was a mixture of father and mother in appearance, but held an unruly spirit that could not be tamed. More often than not he was caught by his older sister at their parent's functions before he could cause too much mischief.

One fateful night Arthur was called to business and Cecilia stayed with her children as she so often did. She called them all to the front room where dozens of old, dried books covered each wall. She gathered them near the fireplace and pulled some books out from a compartment to the side of the shelves where she hid her favorite stories that her husband may not favor as well. She smiled wickedly as if it was a crime and opened the largest book. The other books were set down close to the fire, to look through after they finished with the first. All three of her children circled around the book as she pointed to the picture of a large ship.

“This is the rigging,” she pointed to the sails and ropes that held them, “There is the standing rigging which does not move, and then there is the-”

“How do you know so much about ships, mama?” Caleb interrupted and pulled at the corner of the book to see better.

“Caleb!” Jacob hissed toward his brother for the disruption.

“My father was a sailing master on a merchant ship,” she recounted with a chuckle to stop the boys from fighting, “Your grandfather told me many stories and facts about the sea and the ships that sail over her.”

“Was this his boat?” Jacob asked and pulled the book back over to his side.

“No, love,” she shook her head, “This ship was used for something other than merchant sales.”

The boys leaned in closer as her daughter tilted her head and lifted a brow in question, “Isn't that a pirate ship?”

“Yes, dear heart, it is,” her mother nodded with a fond smile and stroked the mainmast of the illustrated ship, “A mighty fine ship, too.”

“Father said that everything a pirate touches should be burned and disregarded,” the little one spat and crossed her arms over her chest, “Especially their ships.”

Her mother's back straightened and she looked at her eldest in the eyes, “Katerina.”

“That's what father says. Is it not true?” she asked as her arms fell to her side, knowing that her mother was a bit more than disappointed. Her eyes looked to be a little raw, as if the young girl had been rubbing tears from them.

Her mother's eyebrows knotted in concern and then took a deep breath as she waved her daughter to come closer.

“Some men become an Arthur Benikins, strong businessmen who are able to afford lavish things and follow the letter of the law,” she hugged her sons to her side and kissed the tops of their heads.

“Father!” Jacob smiled proudly and Cecilia smiled down at him.

“Others become free men on the sea, creating a life of their own. One man is not better than the other because of what he is labeled. He is better for who he is- his character, his beliefs, his heart,” her mother explained and sighed heavily as she let go of her sons and grabbed her daughter's hands over the book. She squeezed them tight in her own, “You need to understand there are ruffians out there in the world, but not all of them are going to be branded with a 'P'. And not all gentleman are going to wear fine jackets and naval uniforms.”

“But those men-”

“Are men with needs and wants like any other man on this island. We have no standing to judge them. Only one being has that right,” she looked to the ceiling to make a point.

Katerina nodded in agreement and looked at their joined hands still confused. Her father always talked of the law of the land and how pirates exploited it. Her mother talked as if they were equals. What should a young lady think?

Cecilia paused for a moment again to ponder her daughter's sudden silence when she reached behind her neck and under her hair to take off her locket. It was an older piece that she never had taken off before, at least not as far back as Katerina could remember. It was a bronzed gold linked chain, delicate and slender with a long rounded locket secured at the end. The locket itself was plain, made of the same metal that the chain was and a faded black face with a gold scripted 'C' on the front. Cecilia held it in front of Katerina's face and let it spin a little from side to side.

“Your father gave this to me the night that the angels sent you down to us,” she said with a watery smile and put the locket securely in her smaller hand, “I want you to have it.”

“Why?” Katerina asked, but held the locket to her chest as if it was the only piece of treasure in the world.

“That locket was a gift from a pirate to your father,” she said and touched the locket through Katerina's smaller hands, “It was a selfless gift from a good man. It's what made me fall in love with your father. He may not always remember, but I always wear it to remind me. I thought that it may remind you not to judge too quickly.”

Katerina looked down at her new locket- her new treasure- and nodded with a smile up at her mother, “I will try my best, mama.”

“Good,” Cecilia smiled and kissed her daughter's head, “I love you, my dear heart.”

“Love you too, Mama.”

“Put it on. I would love to see it.”

Katerina put the chain easily over her head and un-tucked her hair so that it wouldn't get caught in the chain. She smiled and spun in front of her mother and brothers. She stumbled a bit and tripped over a few of the books that her mother had left on the floor, but then continued on as if there was no stumble. Her mother laughed at her excitement and clapped her hands.

“Don't we get something too?” Caleb asked from beside his mother.

“Don't be rude, Caleb,” Jacob swatted at his brother's head.

“As a matter of fact, I have it on good authority that your father is coming home with some treats for you two,” their mother teased and poked at their sides to make them laugh.

As Cecilia tickled at her boys, Katerina stopped her dance and looked down at the locket in her small hands. She bit her lower lip and looked at the room's doors. Dena would love to see the locket up close. She mentioned it every time that her mother was in the room. Katerina nodded to herself and walked out of the room to find the daughter of the head housemaid and one of her only friends. She looked back at her mother to make sure that she wasn't going to missed and shut the door behind her.

Katerina walked through the large manor and tried to think where the housemaid would be working at this time of the evening. The windows are always done in the mornings and all the wash was already out to dry. She started to climb the stairs thinking that the young maid could be tidying some guest rooms, but then thought again and turned herself around toward the kitchen. There she found her older friend arm deep in soot.

“Dena,” Katerina called out to her friend.

“Oh, hello Miss,” she greeted and pulled herself out of the hearth, “Did your mother need anything from the kitchen?”

“No, I wanted to show you something,” Katerina's eyes lit up and she pulled at the locket a little to show it better.

“Your mother's locket!” Dena's eyes grew, “She took it off?”

“She gave it to me,” Katerina bragged a bit and smiled at the trinket, “Says its what made her fall in love with father.”

“It's something special then,” Dena openly ogled the locket, but dared not to touch it. Something then caught her attention. The smell of smoke. She turned around back to the hearth thinking that there were more embers, but everything was long cold.

“Dena? What's the matter?”

“I smell smoke.”

“Mother lit the fireplace,” Katerina assured her friend, “Maybe a bad log was put on.”

“No, this is different,” Dena shook her head and rubbed her dirty hands over her apron as she walked back the way Katerina came. The younger girl followed her and after only a few more feet Katerina heard her mother's voice yelling for her.

“Katerina! Where are you?!” her voice sounded faint and another sound seemed to drown it out.

“Mother?” Katerina called back and ran to the door she had closed on the way out.

She and Dena opened the doors and coughed as dark clouds of smoke blew into their faces. As the smoke escaped the the room the two girls saw the room set ablaze with a fire. Katerina looked frantically for her mother and brothers and found their outlines in the corner of the room, away from the worst of the flames. A large bookcase came down from the wall and now laid between Katerina and her family, the heat from the fire along its back burned at her face.

“Mama!” she yelled and looked around her to find a way to her family. She coughed as the dark, thick smoke blew toward her

“Katerina! Stay where you are! Don't come in here!” her mother yelled and saw the young maid at her side, “Dena, take Katerina with you and find help!”

“Yes, mum,” Dena nodded furiously and grabbed at Katerina's hand.

Katerina pulled it away and looked back toward her mother with blurred vision from the smoke, “I am not leaving you!”

“Kat, go with Dena!” Cecilia yelled at her daughter over the sound of the fire, her eyes overflowing with tears, pleading with her daughter to listen, “Please, go!”

Dena pulled on Katerina's arm again when there was a groan from above them. Dena looked up and pushed her and Kat aside as some of the ceiling from the room collapsed and covered the doorway. Katerina's head swam as she tried to to keep her eyes open. Dena's voice echoed in her head and she succumbed to darkness.

***

An hour later a water truck did all they could to reach the people trapped inside the room. The men finally tamed the fire and climbed inside the home to find Cecilia Benikins and her two boys. The rest of the home was saved, but the one room was now covered in black soot and charred wood, the fire ultimately fed by the books that once encompassed it. Once a favored room of the home, now a dark stain on the opulent manor. All three that were trapped inside were gone and the lone survivor of the family sat to the side with her help.

Dena stood outside on the steps next to Katerina who hadn't said a word, wrapped tightly in a large blanket and a wrap around her head. Dena's mother and the two butlers employed in the home stood further off to talk with the naval men who came to help. Katerina just stared at her mother's locket and felt numb- the new treasure suddenly felt heavy in her small hands. A large knot on her head had formed under the wrap from where she had hit the floor, but that didn't matter. None of it mattered. Her mother and brothers were gone.

“Miss?” Dena asked again and knelt down to look at her mistress in the eyes, “Your father is here.”

Katerina's head snapped up and saw the man push himself through the crowd that had gathered to look at the spectacle. He got the attention of one of Naval Officers that had helped to battle the flames. The man brought out the charred remains of something and handed it to her father. Katerina saw her father's face fall and then turn to malice. He looked over at his daughter and walked briskly toward her. She stood up and began to take quick steps toward him to reach him sooner, her vision blurred with unshed tears. Before she could wrap her arms around him, he kept her at an arms length.

“What did you do?” he breathed out between his teeth.

“Father?” she asked in a small voice barley a whisper.

He threw down the half burnt item to the ground in front of her feet, making her jump back. She squinted her eyes to look at the item and instant recognition came upon her. She recognized it as one of the books her mother set on the floor. She had tripped over it... it must have fallen into the flames.

“What did you do?” he whispered to her again.

Katerina looked up into her father's eyes which were full of tears and... was that hate?

“Father, I-” she reached for him again, but he only stepped away and tossed her arm from him. He turned quickly from her and walked over to the side where his sons laid under a few blankets.

Dena came up from behind Katerina and gently patted her on the shoulder.

“I did it,” Katerina whispered to herself and her bottom lip shook, “ _I_ did it. I killed them.”

“You did nothing of the sort, Miss,” Dena shook her head, “You were no-”

“I kicked the book into the fire by accident,” Katerina continued, “...I _killed_ them.”

“Oh Miss...” Dena wanted to hug the younger girl, but knew that propriety wouldn't stand for it.

“I did it...”


	2. Chapter 1

_**~*~ 15 years later ~*~** _

Two figures rushed down the hall and into a large study with dark mahogany accents. The light brunette sat down in the overly plush chair at the side of the doors, a hand to the chest to regain breath, while the darker haired figure stood at the doors to make sure they weren't followed. The eyes scanned the hallway and saw a young woman at the end who caught sight of them run into the study.

Dena smiled happily, looked around the area and then motioned with her hand for them to continue with a wink.

“Katerina!” the brunette hissed from the chair, “Close the door or we will be caught for sure!”

Katerina chuckled warmly and closed the door quietly, “Do not worry yourself, Harriet. Dena is in the hallway. She will make sure that we have plenty of time to escape if need be.”

Harriet rolled her eyes, unsure if she really believed her.

Katerina turned around and clapped her hands together to look around her father's study, “Now... where are those maps and books?”

“Why do you need them anyway?” Harriet asked as she walked around the outside edge of the room at the trinkets on the shelves.

“Because, dear cousin,” she stopped to look over a book before she tossed it to the side to look for another one, “Father has been pouring his heart out on this deal and I want to make sure that the rum in his system hasn't steered him wrong.”

“Why don't you just talk to him?” Harriet asked and poked at a pipe that her uncle left on the shelf, “Surely if it has to do with business, Uncle would-”

“He will hear nothing from me, you know that,” Katerina shooed her and opened another book to skim through the ledger, “He wants nothing to do with me, so most of the time he pretends I don't exist.”

Harriet gave her cousin a sorrowful look of which Katerina shook off.

“Which is fabulous for me really,” Katerina shrugged nonchalantly and kept her eyes sweeping the page of names in front of her before turning to a new book, “That means I get to read and study whatever I choose- learn whatever skills I want. Much better than some overbearing father.”

“He _does_ love you,” Harriet tried to remind her.

“Doubtful, but thank you,” Katerina flipped another page over, “Ah! I knew it. The Jensen property is not making any profits. He should sell it if he knows what's good for him... the land is near barren, the plants that _are_ growing are going hostel, no one wants to climb that far up the hill... The only thing that it has in its favor is that magnificent view.”

“Will he be able to sell it with all that?”

“There are quite a few interested buyers. Including a certain Mr. Whit who has a meeting with him tonight,” Katerina closed the ledger with a snap and put it back where she found it, “Now, to find a way to convince him thinking that it was his own idea...”

“Does the captain even know you are this devious?” Harriet asked and sat next to the window.

“If he doesn't, he soon will.”

“What are you going to do about that letter he gave you?”

“His proposal?” Katerina flicked her eyes to her cousin in question and Harriet nodded intently, “If he wants my hand in marriage as badly as he says he does in that letter, he should voice it instead of writing it.”

Harriet groaned and looked up at the ceiling for any kind of guidance, “Are you _trying_ to become a spinster, cousin? You are doing a marvelous job of it if you are.”

“Oh, let the captain refuse me,” she covered her chest with her hand in a mock faint, “I think I can manage without him.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” Katerina picked up the locket that settled over her breast and ran her finger over the side of the black stone, “Besides... I want to marry for love. Like mother.”

“We don't all get that happy ending,” Harriet reminded her and looked out the window. Not a few yards away from the front gate walked a younger couple, no more than a few years older than Katerina. The woman seemed to be beaming with pride while the man attached at the arm looked a bit unsure. Harriet smirked as she felt Katerina look out the window next to her, “Athena just married Branson a fortnight ago.”

“Congratulations,” Katerina scoffed and looked elsewhere out the window, “Doesn't that make the third marriage for her? At least it's someone her age this time instead of someone _years_ her senior.”

“Just stating that happy endings aren't in the cards for all of us. Just look at how Branson is.”

“Best of luck to him. He will need it if I remember Athena from boarding school. Look, I know that happy endings aren't promised- I mean, it wasn't a completely happy ending for mother and _you_ rushed into your marriage, Harriet,” Katerina looked down in the garden where a little girl with light brown hair in curls picked at the smaller flowers from the expansive garden. She smiled at her selection and ran back toward the manor doors stumbling a bit as she went, “But you matched well. Robert is a good man. He loves you and you have learned to love him a great deal. And he is a great father to little Olivia.”

“I'm just afraid that time will run out for you.”

“You are five years older than I am. I still have a year before I was the age you were when you were married,” she tried to calm her overreacting cousin.

“If you don't say yes to the captain, what is your father going to think?”

“More disappointment?” she asked as if she already knew the answer, “Although, I think that this may be his last resort. So _many_ suitors...”

“Well, if you want to get away from Uncle bad enough you will pick someone soon,” Harriet sighed and shook her head, “You are twenty-three. Soon enough, he may stop giving you the choice and choose for you.”

“Don't be so dramatic, Harriet,” Katerina retreated from the window and headed for the door, “There is no rush. I do want to leave this place, but something is telling me to stay. Just a little longer. Maybe that's what he needs. Just a little more time.”

“That may be it,” Harriet agreed and walked out of the study with Katerina, “Maybe he just needs a 'what-if' scenario. I mean, just imagine what would happen if you were taken by a pirate!”

“ _Now_ who is being ridiculous?” Katerina asked and nodded to Dena who ran toward the wing of the manor with the bedrooms to finish her other tasks, “Pirates?”

“It's not such a impossibility,” Harriet pushed the issue, “Remember what happened to Elizabeth five years ago? Can you imagine, if the governor's daughter could be taken...”

Thundering little steps ran up the hallway as both Harriet and Katerina walked down the stairs. Little three year old Olivia came running to the bottom step and held out her hand filled with flowers toward Harriet.

“Here mama!” she smiled.

Harriet knelt down to come eye to eye with her daughter and smelled the flowers as she took them in her hand, “Those are beautiful, Olivia!”

Olivia beamed from the praise and then turned to Katerina.

“Kat! Kitty Kat!” she opened her arms wide and Katerina took that as a sign to swoop the little girl into her arms and spin her around. Olivia laughed as Katerina twirled her around the bottom of the stairs.

“Olivia!” Katerina smiled and chuckled in wonder at the small girl, “Just what are you doing?”

“I want go ships!” she pouted and turned to her mother, “Olivia want go!”

Katerina looked confused, “Ships?”

“I need to go to the harbor,” a voice said from the front steps.

Katerina’s father stood in the faint light from outside and blocked the doorway. He towered over her by at least one head. His eyes had faded from the brilliant hazel that they once were to a color resembling a cold gray. She remembered when her father still had the same hazel eyes that were commonly related to happiness . . . the day _they_ left. After that day, he was never was the same. The happiness that was once in his eyes faded when the smoke stopped.

He cleared his throat and looked over Katerina, “Dena should now be up in your room, ready with a new dress for you to wear. I need to go to Port Royal to discuss with some associates. The Captain should be there as well.”

“Time to show me off once again?” she asked as she handed the small child to Harriet.

“Hurry and get dressed,” he said sternly and started to walk back toward his study to grab a few books.

Katerina slit her eyes about to say something to her father. Before she could say much she had remembered that no matter how good the argument, she would never win against her father. She looked at her cousin, but then shook her head and went to her room.

After the quick change into a deep blue dress with silver trim, Katerina was pushed out the door and to the carriage waiting out side. She thanked Dena, on her way out for not capturing her in one of the newest styles. A tight corset being tied around her waist was not her cup of tea. In her opinion, she never really needed to use it, for her natural curves were the envy of her younger acquaintances. Nonetheless, her father would still insist that she use it. It was the newest thing that proper ladies wore and as a proper lady, she should do as all other ladies do.

Katerina sat in the carriage across from her father desperately trying to keep the layers of the new gown from swallowing her whole. She kept her eyes on her hands folded in her lap or out the small window as she dared not look at him during the ride. She heard him shift his body on the seats and let out a few coughs into his handkerchief. He too tried to make no movement toward any conversation with his daughter. The shuffling of paperwork filled the empty air instead of conversation. The silence was deafening and, quite frankly, quite annoying.

“Are you still in negotiation of the properties with Mr. Whit?” Katerina asked and chanced a look toward her father.

“Yes, there are a couple of properties he is very interested in,” he answered, his eyes glued to his ledger.

“He has taken a large interest in the Jensen property, hasn't he?” she said in a casual manner to try to keep her father off the defensive.

“I wouldn't say large...” her father paused and finally looked up at her with suspicion, “How would you know?”

“I hear you when you are going over your paperwork at the table,” she offered with a shift of her weight, “And Mr. Whit was quite spirited when you talked about it last time he paid you a visit.”

Her father gave her a hard look over and then nodded as it made sense. He looked back to his ledger and turned back a few pages with a, “Hm.”

“Do... you think that he may want to take it off your hands?” she asked and looked out the window.

“Katerina, what are you chattering on about?” he asked in exhaustion.

“I was just thinking,” she faced forward and sat straighter, “The Jensen property has been nothing but a hindrance to you. I thought that you had said that maybe if the right buyer came along, they could take it in a bundle with another property. Maybe a little more profit on something that may be a little more of a loss.”

“That does sound like something I would say,” he mumbled and then looked at his daughter for a moment. In the quiet moment, Katerina began to hope that he saw something in her. Something more than what he acted on. Something that he cared for as a daughter, like so long ago. He cleared his throat and sighed heavily before he turned back to his ledger to write a few things down, “Couldn't you have warn another necklace? That one is so worn and I did tell you that we would be seeing the captain tonight.”

Katerina's hope faded once again and she gripped at the locket as if to hide it and preserve it from view. She quickly slipped into her cold role of lady as the carriage stopped in front of one of the many pubs that her father met his associates. The footman opened the carriage door and she stepped out without another sound.

A hand took hers from the outside to help her down from the carriage steps. She looked up to see Mr. Whit and she greeted him civilly. He smiled warmly back at her and squeezed her hand a little too tightly and lingered a little too long for her taste. He was an older gentleman, the same age if not older than her father. She looked behind him expecting to see the Captain, but only empty space surrounded the plump investor.

“Mr. Whit,” her father greeted him and shook his hand, in the process finally releasing Katerina's hand. He too looked around and didn't see anyone, “Where is Captain Belstrude? He was to meet with us as well.”

“He had some urgent matters to attend to,” Whit answered in a apologetic tone and looked directly at Katerina, “He sends his deepest regards. He told me to pass this on to you.”

Mr. Whit handed her a few red roses from a close at hand foot man and she nodded as she accepted them, “I thank you for holding them for me.”

“He has always been smitten with you. Even as a child,” Mr. Whit made sure to impress on her, “He was very excited to see you again, Miss.”

“And I him, sir,” Katerina smiled prettily. It was how she acted in front of associates. It was expected. It was so fake.

“Well, he may show soon,” her father spoke up and put a hand to her back, “How about you wait in the coach for him to show?”

“I am going to take a walk,” Katerina said, nearly cutting her father off and began to walk away, “A pleasure to see you again, as always, Mr. Whit.”

“Is she that upset about the captain?” Whit chuckled and patted Benikins on the back, “Young love, eh?”

“That must be it,” he grumbled and then looked to the stout man, “Let's get to our table and order some drinks. I have a proposition for you, Whit. You remember the Jensen estate?”

“Yes, I do quite well,” both men turned into the pub and to their favorite table.

Katerina heard her boots click against the rocks and cobblestone. She would still smile at the men in the market stalls and make small talk as she walked, as it was proper. She handed the few roses off to some young girls in the street, who all happily took them and ran to show their mothers. She still had to hold herself as a lady despite the storm raging in her.

She eventually made it down toward the beach where she looked around and noticed that no one was watching. She quickly undid the lacing on her boots and pulled up what she could of her skirt. Her toes sunk into the sand and the small swell of waves lapped over her feet. The wind that came off the sea caressed her face and she felt some of the careful curls of her hair unravel. A giggle escaped her lips as her eyes closed and she became enraptured in the moment. Sometimes the only thing that could calm her was the water over her feet and the cool, fresh ocean air over her face.

She stayed in her own small piece of paradise for as long as she could. When she felt a surge of cold in the wind she opened her eyes and stepped back from the waves to make sure her new gown didn't get too wet. She sat back on a smooth boulder and put her stockings and boots back on. Afterward she stared out toward the horizon and touched the locket on her chest.

“Mother,” she whispered out to the waves, “I don't know how much longer I can stay here. What am I waiting for?”

There was nothing but the waves to answer her and she sighed.

“Would father even care if I was hurt or missing?” she wondered out loud as her mind drifted back to the conversation with Harriet, “Who would come to my rescue, I wonder?... Timothy Belstrude would look for me, as he would do nothing other than what a hero would. I would be grateful, yes, but... enough to marry him? Bear him children?... no. I wouldn't. I barely hold an affection toward the man. And he knows nearly nothing of me- apparently attracted to all that he has only seen and heard of me. Poor captain, knows nothing of what would come of courting me.”

She shook her head, “No, he would never find out. Timothy is a nice, smart man, but not the man for me. I _will_ find a man that loves me for me and I for him. ”

The wind picked up only momentarily to kiss her face and then it was gone. The sun was staring to sink into the sea and she frowned knowing that her time was up. She turned to go back toward the docks and maybe catch the carriage if it was still at the pub. She would not put it past her father to leave her to walk back to the manor- or set it up to have the captain wait for her and escort her home. Either way, she would have to hurry to get out from around the docks. Once the sun went down, that's when the gentlemen went home and the ruffians came out.

As she rounded the side of the docks coming back to the street, her boot caught in a spot of damp sand and threw her off balance. She tried to correct herself only to over correct and fell backwards into a bit of mud at the side of the cobblestone. She groaned in frustration and looked down to find her backside and the right side of her skirt covered in mud. She quickly got up and pulled the material as far forward as she could to see the damage.

“Oh... Dena is going to be so sore with me,” she tried to wipe at the dirt and mud only to spread I further and cover her hands, “This is going to take so much work. I wonder if she would forgive me if I offered to help when father wasn't looking.”

She threw the skirt to the side and started to walk on. There was nothing that could be done for the skirt now. She would have to explain to the driver and hope that he had a blanket or something to sit on to spare the carriage seats.

As she was deep in thought, she turned at the end of the row and came face to face with two older looking men. Both of their heads turned to her at the sound of her boots. One seemed much older than the other- making him in his late forties- while the other looked to be in his late twenties. Both were in torn clothing and lounged over the boxes which she was sure they should be working through. They both shared a smile at one another and she saw that their teeth were in awful disrepair and their body odor could not be described. The younger one had a gold earring in his left ear and it shifted and bounced on the side of his face as he turned his head. They both stood away from the boxes and blocked the way down the street.

The older one the men sauntered his way closer to her and looked at her square in the face, “Lost ye way, kitten?”

“N-not at all,” Katerina tried to sound stronger and more confident then she really was at the time. She touched her locket to gain confidence and not jump to conclusions as she had promised her mother, “Now if you will step aside, gentlemen, I will be on my way.”

The two men looked at one another with eyes open and started to laugh uproariously which made Katerina jump in surprise.

The younger looking of the two spoke out of the laughter first, “’Magine that! This proper lady called us gentlemen!”

The other man stopped laughing and leaned toward her, “What ‘appens to be ye name, puppet?”

Katerina felt the fear start to bubble in her belly and she knew that it started to show. Despite her eager tries not to judge, from the looks of the two men standing before her and the countless boats coming into harbor, she had a good guess on their occupation and did not want to tally too long with the likes of pirates. Her breath started to quicken and she struggled to breath to give her reply as the two pirates stared at her.

“I- I don’t think it is c-common or d-decent to give my name to st-strangers that I have just met on the streets,” she said in the only voice she could muster, which wasn’t confident any longer.

“Well, ye gives us ye name and we won’ts be strangers any longer, now will we?” the older one grabbed for her arm, but she stepped back before he could get a hold of her.

She looked at both of them and began to back out from the side street. If she doubled backed, she knew there was another short cut near the Blacksmith's.

“Now, now . . . ye aren’t thinkin’ of runnin’ off now, are ya?” the younger one took a step toward her with a growl, giving her the cue to run and run as fast as the weighted skirt would allow her.

She heard her own muffled cries from her throat and looked behind her trying to be sure that she put plenty of distance between the two pirates and herself. They were gaining on her and she needed to get more speed, and she knew that wasn’t possible in the dress she was wearing. She cursed her father for putting her in the dress before they left. The lighter day dress would have given her the better advantage against these men.

Katerina turned another corner to find a steep drop off for a wooden loading crane and nowhere else to run. Behind her, she heard the men skid around the corner. She looked for an escape . . . a ladder, a tree, anything would be of use at that point.

“Nowhere to go now, puppet,” the elder one said as they slowly walked toward her as if going in for a kill.

They began to push forward and she stepped back to the edge of the wooden platform. The heel of her boot dangled over the edge as she let out a small whimper from her mouth. Both of their faces grew with a smile, showing their gruesome teeth and crude hygiene once again. As one stepped forward he reached for Katerina’s face. She wretched her hand back and slapped him hard across the face, her nails catching his cheek. He roared in rage and went to grab her other wrist. She retracted again, as she did before, and was thrown off balance.

Her voice left her as she began to fall back and looked down at what would be her resting place for sure. All boxes, crates and fabrics in rope nets- beneath that was the ocean. Deep and blue. The only place they would find her if she fell in was in Davy Jones’ Locker. The pirate that went for her wrist caught her skirt fabric instead and tore at least half of the flowing skirt off of the dress. He turned back to the other pirate looking at the fabric in his hand and just stood dumbfounded.

The two pirates looked over the side and didn’t see one trace of her in the water nor in the rope bindings closest to them. The skies were turning dark and could be blamed for the horrible view of the nets below. Besides that, her dark dress would blend in with the dark objects below or the deep waves. They looked at one another and the one still holding the material shrugged his shoulders.

The other rolled his eyes and began to hit the other, “Ye idiot! She was ripe for the takin'!”

“She's be the one to slap me,” he wiped at his cheek, “Even made me bleed.”

“Aye, she was spirited, tha's fer sure,” they both paused and laughed to themselves that she could have been pretty fun. All the young women who end up on the wrong side of the port usually are. They soon walked off back to their duties before their captain found them slacking.

Unknown to the two pirates walking away, Katerina was stuck in the nets, unconscious from a blow from a crate. She was hidden well away and couldn’t be seen by the crew of the ship that the net was loaded on. The crew was too lazy to look through the haul and just let it drop into the cargo portion of their ship. After a few hours and their fill of women and rum, they headed back for the ship and set off for the next port.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Katerina didn't notice too much when she started to come to. The room was dark and very little light cut through the thick grating above her. She rubbed her her head to find a nice sized lump above her temple. She noticed that some of her hair stuck to her head and she pulled her hand away and put it under what light she could find. A small, red smear was across her fingers. She took the back of the same hand and tried to wipe what she could feel along her face. Her hair must be dreadful, but at least it would hide the lump that she felt earlier. A quick feel around her dress found that half of the once voluminous skirt was torn off and the caked on mud from earlier was dried into the fabric. She would have to apologize to Dena profusely.

She felt around herself, trying to find a wall or ledge to pull herself up on. She found a box ledge and pushed up to get back on her legs which seemed more than wobbly. From the way the room seemed to be swaying back and forth, she could have sworn that she was on a ship.

“A ship!” she whispered to herself and then tried to hold her breath. She listened very carefully and heard the sound of waves hitting the side of a wooden hull. She then heard footsteps and faint voices. She let her breath out slowly and shook her head in astonishment, “It can't be.”

Her eyes took in what light they could and looked at the countless boxes, chests and very expensive trinkets around her. She held her head as the pain from the hit became apparent once again. After a deep breath she thought the situation through. She was more than likely on a merchant ship and only needed to tell the captain that she had an accident and needed passage back to Port Royal if they had left port already. If he was true gentleman, he would surely take her back without much of a fuss.

Carefully trying to avoid more boxes or barrels, she made her way toward what she hoped would be the deck, praying that the ship was a smaller one. She may not have stepped foot on a ship since her passage from England- even then she was much too young to remember- but she has read about sailing and ships since before her mother's death. She knew all the different types of ships from the smallest Schooners to large Barks, she read as much as she could on sea faring vessels. She blamed it on her mother and her grandfather's bloodline as her father hated the thought of ships or boats. She read everything she could get her hands on and that included some stories of the captains in charge of the most infamous ships. Some times when she sat on the beach she would watch the ships come in and out of port, hoping that someday she could be taken away on one. She just always assumed that it would be under her own accord.

As she reached a darker portion of the room, her boot bumped into the bottom of a stair. She took a deep breath and began to climb, unsure of what she would find at the top. Her hand was glued to the side wall as she climbed one step after another, her mind concocting some of the worst scenarios possible. She tried to keep them from sinking in too far and kept her legs moving. She slowly and quietly opened the door at the top of the stairs to a wide deck with no one on it. To the far side of the door she found a man slouched in a chair with a flask in his right hand. With a small gasp she closed the door a little, hiding herself from the man’s view. By the look of the man, the ship wasn’t merchant and she definitely needed to get off of it.

After a closer inspection, she saw that the man had passed out. The familiar posture of the man wasn't lost on her as she had found her father in similar form after a night with his associates. The flask was barely held in his dirty hand as it hung over the side of his chair, swaying with the rocking of the ship

Slowly, she inched her way out of the door and closed it lightly behind her. She scampered across the deck no longer encumbered with the full skirt. She didn't want to attract any attention and thought that the rest of the crew was off the ship. Luckily that meant that she only needed to get past the sleeping form to her freedom.

A quick scurry down the gangplank and she was finally on the main harbor deck. She took a deep breath and started to walk down the dock. She had felt her confidence grow at her ingenuity, until she found quite a few men walking down toward her. She quickly looked around and jumped behind a few of the barrels left on the pier. The men walked quickly by her and onto the ship that she had just escaped. They all were talking in gruff voices and looked almost just as the other two that chased her into this nightmare.

“Bloody pirates,” she whispered to herself and turned to put her back against the barrels. She let a sigh of relief escape and finally had a good look down at her clothes. He skirt was torn half off and there were ribbons of material hanging from the remnants. The material was more than ruined and the bodice had more than a few rips in it that may be viewed as an invitation.

‘I have to find a way to get help and a decent outfit,’ Katerina thought and leaned over the side of the dock to dunk her hand in the water. She quickly wiped what blood she could off her hands and then wiped at her face for good measure. She sat back up and couldn't find anyone on the dock. She slipped from crate to crate- barrel to barrel, hope still burning high that she wouldn’t be caught by the many other pirates infesting the dock. In her shameful appearance there was a great chance that two or more other pirates would start another chase and she had no energy left to start another race for her life and her innocence.

She ducked into an alleyway and made it to the other side of a building facing away from the port. From what she could see of the port, it was dark, grungy and no where that she would like to be for very long. The ribbons of material that trailed behind her had to go as it picked up a good portion of the muck and mud from the ground and splashed it on the back of her calves. The once rich looking dark blue was now a dull looking, muddy color. She rubbed the side of her arms that she had found were bare. She hadn't thought to grab a pair of gloves before leaving the carriage behind. She gritted her teeth and tore what tails were left on her skirt and tried to think of a plan.

She was startled when she heard the noise and voices of people from around the corner. From the sound of it she believed that there must be a party of some sort and some one should be able to help her there. There had to be at least one good soul on this forsaken rock. She walked quickly down the empty road and happened upon a new street. What stood ahead of her appalled her. Suddenly the thought of staying in Port Royal forever didn't sound like much of a punishment.

Women in this port seemed to have no decency. They were pulling their skirts over the eyes of pirates who seemed far too intoxicated to even notice. The dress’s tops were showing everything they shouldn't and were nothing like the modest dresses that Katerina was accustomed to. Every one of the pirates that she had seen so far were too caught up in their own woman to even notice her still stunned on the corner; which she didn’t think to be grateful for at the time.

Before Katerina could even move a step from the corner she noticed a slightly older woman start to walk toward her. Her dress was just as appalling as the other women, but she seemed to have a little more meat to her then the other skinny girls. The woman had her red, grimy hair up in a hurried style and her face was covered with dark rouge and powder.

The new woman came right up to Katerina’s face, looked her straight in the eyes with her hands firmly on her hips, “What do you think yer doin'?”

The woman’s voice dripped with a distaste and Katerina probably could understand why, “I- I’m sorry?”

“Are ye tryin' to take my spot or somethin'? I would look somewhere else, hun,” the woman slapped her in the face and started to push her toward the next street over, “Try this one.”

Katerina was pushed toward what seemed to be the busiest part of the port and fell on her knees. She gritted her teeth and hissed as her hands scraped against the harsh rocks in the mud. From her knees down she was covered with the mud from the road and her hands were now covered in the disgusting filth. Everywhere around her she saw more unoccupied pirates walking up and down the road and decided that she needed some shelter from sight or some help.

She looked up at the buildings and found what looked like a pub down the street. Not the first choice in locations, but better than knocking on unknown doors. She brushed her hands on her already ruined skirt and walked through the doors.

As soon as she pushed through the door, she knew it was a mistake. Her quick look around the watering hole had caught the attention of many men. The bubbling of fear began to creep back in her belly and reach new heights. The pub was full of _pirates_ \- nearly every one of them looking directly at her. She had caught the attention of the whole bar and frantically looked for one person that may be at least the smallest help to her. All she needed was one soul to save hers. In the far corner she saw a pirate only take a sip out of his tin cup, lift up his tri-corner hat and look in her direction. He showed no indifference at the moment and placed his cup back down at the table.

“Oh Bloody hell!” she hissed to herself.

Some of the pirates began to stand up and she took steps backward to run back toward the street that was relatively empty when she first arrived. She heard many of the men start to give chase after her. Her already aching legs were pushed harder as she heard their boots hitting the ground after her faltering feet. She frantically tried to retrace her steps back to the busy streets, to relative safety- if there was any to be found.

Another wrong turn later and Katerina stopped at a dead end. She must have mistaken the road or missed the alleyway that she walked through before. She hit the palm of her hand on the wall, smoothing her hand over it as if she was trying to find a secret passage in the stone. Turning around she found another group of pirates ready to take her. There were at least four men, and she knew what they would do to her if she couldn’t find her way out of the literal corner she put herself in.

“Now wha’ a purdy young one we got ‘ere,” one of the pirates said from the group.

Katerina’s eyes shifted from one face to the other, wishing that the other women from the street over might try to pick off each pirate one by one to do with what they want. Couldn’t they have just let her go on her way back home? Why did the other two have to chase her? Why was she out on her own when she knew better?

One particularly forward pirate walked right up to her, grabbed some of her hair in his hand and smelled the locks, “Ye got a purdy smell too.”

She shifted her head back to release her hair from his grip.

He pushed himself toward her, put his arms on either side of her head and sniffed her neck closely and she tried to disappear into the stone behind her.

“Why don' ye talk, purdy?” he cooed and stroked the side of her face, “We will get to know each other real well.”

Something behind Katerina's eyes caught on fire and she gritted her teeth in anger. She turned quickly, slapped the pirate across the face and pushed him back from her. He stumbled from the surprise of the strength of the little lady and tripped backward into the mud. Katerina looked down at the man and rubbed at the cheek he stroked as if to wipe his offense away, “Don't you _dare_ touch me!”

The man rubbed at his cheek and began to laugh, “I really luv the spirited ones.”

He jumped back up to his feet and walked right back up to her. Her face still held her anger and determination, even though fear still spilled over inside. He raised his hand to deliver a slap back. She closed her eyes ready for the contact, but it never came.

She peeked an eye open and saw another hand had caught his in the air. The man that belonged to the other hand stepped in between her and the other pirates, facing away from the terrified woman.

“Now, that's not very nice,” he said casually and tossed the arm away from them.

The form soon became recognizable as the pirate that was sitting in the back corner of the pub. How did he get ahead of the other pirates?

His heavy jacket covered most of his clothing from Katerina, except for his large brown boots that stuck out the bottom. The dark black hair that she saw from under his tri-corner hat and a red bandanna was in clumps in what could only be described as unruly and matted. Both his hat and hair were adorned with shells and tiny trinkets that Katerina had never seen before.

“Ah, Sparrow,” the slapped pirate spat in his direction, “Are ye ever goin’ to be stoppin’ playin’ the hero?”

“What do you mean by that?” the pirate in front of Katerina said, flinging his arms and hands in a drunken way, “I want her to myself is all.”

Katerina swallowed what she could and tried not to react to the implications.

All the pirates started to grunt and groan in a disapproving way and the offensive pirate looked back at him and squinted an eye, “Ye really think we all are goin’ to let ye run off with ‘er?”

“If you want to keep your lives,” the pirate brandished a sword and looked at the rest of them.

The others began to laugh at his attempts to defend himself, “One against us all ain’t goin’ to do much, Jack. Even if ye be the Capn’ of the Black Pearl.”

'The Black Pearl!' Katerina's eyes bugged as she remembered the tales of the ship.

“May be not,” Jack looked behind the group as if he had spotted something, “But maybe that will.”

He pointed behind the group and they all looked behind them, following his lead perfectly. The pirate captain turned around, grabbed Katerina around the wrist and without any warning ran past the group and into the alley Katerina had used earlier. Katerina couldn’t help but notice his almost humorous run as he dodged into numerous alleys and doorways. If they weren’t in the present situation she would have laughed at the supposed pirate captain.

As they made it to the other side of a far building the once crowded port by the ships seemed deserted. Katerina looked around them and watched for any other pirates coming their way while trying to catch her breath. She held her hand to her chest and looked over at the pirate who saved her. He looked around the corner of the building, back through the alley watching for any signs that the other pirates had followed their mad dash.

“Thank you,” Katerina said managing to put both disgust and actual thankfulness in the statement.

“No problem, luv,” the captain turned toward her and gave her a small bow. She was expecting a deeper bow, but thinking that he had been drinking all night he wouldn’t want to bow too low, “Captain Jack Sparrow, the most infamous pirate captain all over these parts.”

“Jack Sparrow . . .” Katerina looked at him through suspicious eyes and took a closer look at him. His attire was similar to what she had expected of a pirate. His shirt open and covered with a dark blue vest, undone and sloppy. A large belt and sash adorned his waist where his cutlass and a compass hung. His eyes were lined with what looked like coal and narrowed as it seemed she was taking too long in her look. She narrowed her eyes as well, “Why would you go through the trouble of saving me from the others?”

“For a reward, of course,” Jack pushed his hand flat palmed toward her.

She looked at the hand with a confused look, “What do you mean reward? I have no money!”

“There be other ways of payment,” he started to stoke the side of her arm which was now bare.

She slapped him across the face, something that he was quite used to, but didn’t quite expect from some one he had just saved, “Well, that _is_ the last time I go a risk me neck for a girl. Usually I get some kind of reward, especially when the girls are very grateful.”

“Well . . . I’m sorry you thought that way, Captain Sparrow, but I do not pay to be saved, nor did I ask for you assistance,” she tried to put on a brave face, but he looked up at her with a knowing grin. They both knew that she wouldn’t have lasted without his intervention, “...although I am very grateful for it, even though you are a pirate.”

“And that be a problem?” he said seeming as though he was offended by the remark.

Katerina didn't know how to answer the question and her hand went to her locket in thought.

Since he didn't get any answer he assumed their meeting was at an impasse. She had a certain view on pirates and he had the feeling that it wasn't going to change anytime soon. He gave another bow toward her with a tip of his hat, “M'lady.”

With a quick turn he started on his way down another road, still swinging his arms in a flamboyant type of way.

“Where are you going?” she ran after him, trying to grab her skirt up to not trip over it in her haste, forgetting that it was now torn at her knees.

“Back to my ship,” he said not looking back at her.

“You’re not going to try and . . . well . . . you know?” she tried to be as subtle as possible.

“Not to be crude or anything, kitten. But you are nothing like the type that I usually . . . uh, require.”

“So you aren’t going to rape me?” she looked at him up and down strangely, “You don’t happen to be a eunuch are you?”

“Of course not!” he stopped in his tracks putting his hands on his hips.

“Well then, aren’t you going to take me with you?”

“Now why would I want to do something like that?” he said turning on his heels and nearly falling to his side. He caught himself and tried to focus on her with his hand in the air.

“Because you saved me, and as far as I am concerned you are responsible for me. That's what a gentleman would do,” she said looking at him in a disapproving fashion. She detested the whole lot of pirates, but she needed a way home and the only way that she could get back home was on a boat. It seemed at the present time this Captain Sparrow was the only one able to get her back without trying something first.

“I am no gentleman,” he chuckled in slight amusement and looked at her again, “You aren’t a usual Tortuga call girl, are you?”

Katerina opened her mouth wide at the audacity of the question, “I am no call girl at all!”

“Then I have no use for you.”

Katerina thought quickly that if she could at least get on the ship there may be chance. Her eyes sparkled as she started to act as she so often did to push people in the right direction.

“You can not just abandon me out here!” she stomped her foot on the ground as she saw many of the other girls had done back in her boarding school to get their way. This pirate expects a little princess, then that is what he will get, “My father and I are known as two of the richest people in Port Royal and-” she slapped her mouth closed as a smile began to grow on Jack’s face.

“Richest people, eh?” he took her by the wrist again and looked her in the eyes, “Maybe rich enough for a ransom or reward for your safe return?”

“I would think that there was some reward for my safe return,” she pouted, “My father and fiance would have the whole naval fleet looking for me.”

“Would you look at that... another Elizabeth,” he grumbled to himself and added something about hiding the rum under his breath. He took a deep breath and pulled at her wrist again, “How much?”

“More than you would think,” she spat confidently and held her head high, though she was sure her father wouldn't spend a shilling.

After a long pause Jack stood straight and nodded, “I think I may have a spot for you on me ship after all.”

“I thought as much,” Katerina sighed and let the captain drag her toward his ship.

As they reached the dock, Katerina looked up at the mighty ship. She heard many stories of the Black Pearl. It was once cursed along with her crew. Her crew unable to die and she unable to sink, she was the fastest ship in the Caribbean. The dark wood looked charred in the moonlight, but she couldn't tear her eyes from her. The ship was so much more than she had ever imagined from the stories. They did the Black Pearl no justice.

“She is a thing of beauty,” Jack mumbled lovingly about his ship and then nodded for her to go first across the gangplank. She quietly followed the command and waited for him to follow once on dock.

Katerina saw no men on board and thought that they had all gone to town, either for more rum or their fill of women. She followed Jack's lead down a short hallway to a door which he opened to find a small room with a not so comfortable looking bed, a small table and something akin to a window above the bed.

She looked over the room and then turned back to him, “How long until we get back to Port Royal?”

“Who said we be going straight to Port Royal?” Jack looked down at her and leaned on the door frame behind her, “I’m ransoming you, not letting you have a leisure cruise on my ship back home.”

With that he pushed her into the room and closed and locked the door before she could get back up.

She screamed in frustration and jumped back on her feet. Her hands folded into fists and began to pound on the door ferociously, “You hear me, Jack Sparrow?!”

“ _Captain!_ Captain Jack Sparrow,” he sung from the other side of the door, nearly half way down the hallway.

“Let me out! I demand it!” she kicked at the door with her already worn boots, “I demand that you let me out! You cannot treat me like this!”

“Where is that written?” he said, his voice nearly gone.

Katerina heard another door open and close and she sat back on the bed, “Dreadful, monstrous pirates! Nothing better to do, but hang the lot of them!”

She leaned back against the wall and forgot about the debt that she had toward Jack. The disgust for his whole kind filled her mind. She felt her mother's locket slide off her chest and to the side. She took it in her hand and looked at the elaborate, worn C.

“I'm sorry, mother,” she whispered and frowned as she hugged the locket closer, “There are no gentlemen on this ship.”

She promised herself that she would find a way out and back to her home no matter what it took.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Harriet walked as quickly as she could up the steps of the Benikins estate followed by her husband, Robert, with their daughter in his arms. She pounded harshly against the front door, her whole body filled with rage. Her pounding fists kept pummeling the door never relenting; her anger had now reached a new point that it never had before.

“Arthur Benikins! Uncle! You open up right now! What did you say to her, Uncle!?” she heard the door’s locks begin to shift in the woodwork and the knobs started to turn.

Dena was on the other side of the door with an already soaked handkerchief in her hand that was brought up every so often to wipe her eyes or nose. She looked at Harriet and her husband still attempting to hide her sorrow as much as she could. With a final wipe of her eyes she spoke to the two with a soft voice.

“Sorry Mrs., Master Benikins is at port asking for the ships and captains that have passed through yesterday.”

“Well he better be doing something useful to help find Katerina! That old windbag has hurt her for the last time! Imagine his nerve. As much as she doesn't admit it, she still looks for his approval and takes his words to heart,” Harriet hugged the young maid around the shoulders trying to bring them both comfort they desperately needed. They all stepped inside the house and made themselves comfortable in the large den.

“I don’t understand something, Mrs.,” Dena started, trying to choke back the tears that were still left in her throat even as she served them tea, not spilling a drop.

“Dena, I have told you more then once to call me Harriet. You, Katerina and I have grown up together since we were children. In this personal space, I will take no offense in you calling me by my name.”

“I’m sorry,” she lowered her head.

“It is all right, Dena. Please, continue.”

“The master has been gone for hours. He should have been back already even if he made the trip all the way to the docks and back.”

“He also has to stop by the captain's office as well. Surely Captain Belstrude would do anything in his power to find her as well,” Harriet offered.

“I am sure you are right.”

Dena's tears started to secede as little Olivia stopped asking for her ‘kitty kat’ and was sent to play in the other room with another maid. Harriet held her husband’s hand as they both stared into the fireplace.

“What has he said?” Harriet asked, her eyes still focused on the hot logs still simmering from the earlier fire.

“Nothing much. All he said was that her temper had erupted once more and that she walked off down the road. ‘Apparently not even taking the common sense to look at her surroundings,’ he said. He came back without her after the meeting thinking that he would give her a lesson about courtesy or something like it. He assumed that she would eventually walk home.”

Harriet only squeezed her husband’s hand tighter and let a small faint cry release from the back of her throat, “He just left the port without her? Making her walk without an escort?”

A report from the authorities was sent and arrived at the estate a day after Katerina began her walk. Mr. Benikins went immediately to tell the authorities about what happened and more than likely alert Captain Belstrude. Harriet blamed her uncle for her cousin’s disappearance as Kat would have never walked off like that if Arthur Benikins hadn’t done something to warrant the behavior.

'What was he thinking leaving the port without his own daughter?’ Harriet thought placing her head on Robert’s shoulder.

All the adults turned their heads to the doors of the estate as a drunken Mr. Benikins stumbled though the doorway, yelling and cheering both profanities and toasts. Dena wiped her tears and grabbed his coat or anything else that he dropped on the floor in his blind, drunken fit. She bowed to Harriet and Robert before she left the room, hoping that she would be far enough away from the yelling when it started.

Harriet looked at her uncle up and down unable to believe the shape that he was in. His clothes were wet with what looked and smelled like a combination of sweat, vomit and rum. His hair was an absolute horror as the wig he usually wore was nowhere to be found and his once profound face was now in a state unrecognizable. He slumped in the armchair across from them acting as if he wasn’t even aware of their presence. Harriet cleared her throat at least three times before she grabbed her uncle’s attention. He turned his attention from his hand that was right in front of his face to her and Robert.

“Oh- Harriet . . . I- I didn’t see you . . . and, um . . . and,” he struggled to remember her husband’s name as he just continued to point and wave his hand at him.

“Robert, Uncle,” Harriet stood up and walked over to him, stopping nearly three feet away from him and crossing her arms in front of her chest, “My husband’s name is Robert. Would you like to hear the name of your daughter who is missing while you are here drenched and filled with rum?”

“I went to a small celebration in Port Royal on my way to Captain Belstrude,” his eyes focused in and out.

“Celebration?”

“Yes . . . Whit, the old idiot bought the Jensen Property lock, stock and barrel. Only took him overnight to decide and he paid more than I had.”

“You didn’t alert the captain? Or ask for the list of ships as you planned?”

“Oh come now, he probably already heard about Katerina... being a captain and all,” he stood up and staggered a little bit waving his hand in front of him as if to shoo away the multiple Harriet’s in front of him, “I had no need to tell him.”

“No need!” Harriet yelled at the top of her lungs enraged by her uncle’s disregard to the fact that his only child is missing, his own flesh and blood, “Uncle! Katerina is missing and needs to be found! There is a very good possibility that she is in the hands of pirates! Doesn’t that mean _anything_ to you?”

“It was her choice to run off,” he said leaning on the armchair.

“Was it her choice to be kidnapped?” she yelled louder, “She would have not run off if you hadn’t yelled at her in the first place!”

“Robert, control your wife,” Arthur looked over at the still silent man.

“Don’t you dare bring him into this! He is here to give _me_ support, not to keep me under his thumb.”

“Is that so?”

“It is,” Robert stood up and held his place by his wife, “And I agree, Arthur. You should alert the authorities. Property or not.”

“They are already alert,” he was the one now getting louder.

“Yes they are,” Harriet began again, letting her hands rub through her hair, “Only because they found something that may be her skirt; not because a concerned father reported his daughter missing!”

“It was her choice!”

“And it was yours to leave her behind!” Harriet turned away and walked into the other room to calm herself. She took her daughter into her arms and started to cry into the young girl’s hair, keeping her tight to her body. The little girl’s green eyes shone with the start of tears not knowing why her own mother was no longer the strongest person in her so far short life.

“Women, eh?” Arthur patted Robert’s back with his awful breath washing over him.

“You are the worst father and man I have ever known,” Robert pushed the hand off his shoulder and followed his wife to the other room to give both her and their child an embrace. Arthur was left in the room alone with his own drunken voice echoing in his head.

“It was her choice . . . it was always her choice.”

***

Hours passed without count in her small cabin cell. What seemed like decades crawled by as she stared at the wooden ceiling from the flat bed she barely fit on. She was able to hear the crew clamber on board over the gangplank on deck. She frowned and stared out the tiny porthole to her side. The sun was sinking below the horizon and for the first time she would have to sleep in a bed that was not her own. This was made even worse by the fact that the bed was on a pirate ship. At least she wasn't sleeping in cargo again- or even the brig. She knew that they would be sailing from Tortuga soon if the sounds coming from outside her cabin was any indication.

Katerina had thought many a time to pound on the door again and again until someone listened to her, but knew that it ultimately would do her no good. She would have to develop an escape plan for herself. If Jack Sparrow didn't take her home, maybe she could find a way off the ship to find a captain that would. Not all of the ports they visit were like Tortuga, she was sure of it. One of the next ports had to hold her salvation.

The ship lurched more than what she was used to and she sat up to compensate for the heavy shift of weight. Her head spun a little, still recovering from her fall into the netting. Suddenly her stomach began to spin along with her head and she wrapped an arm around herself. She thought that maybe if she took her boots off and tried to get more comfortable, it would help. It could be seasickness... or homesickness, she couldn't be sure of the cause of her nausea at the moment. She was too preoccupied on trying not to throw up what food she had left in her system.

After she kicked off her boots, she sat back on the bed and found it to be a little more comfortable then she had remembered only moments ago. Her head found a comfortable lump in the bedding and holding her sides she slowly fell into a deep sleep.

The dreams of her family and life back on land was interrupted by incessant pushing on her shoulder. She grunted something incoherently as she opened her eyes to see a pair of dark brown, feminine eyes staring back shining in dim light.

Katerina shot up and backed away toward the wall opposite the intruder. She looked around her surroundings in a fast effort to remember the events of the last day and a half, the now dim lighting did her no favors. Her search ultimately landed on the other woman in her cabin, a beautiful, yet rugged dark skinned woman with black hair matted by the salty sea air. Her clothes were miniature versions of the men clothing she saw only the day before. The woman stood in the doorway, one hand on her hip as the other held a small lantern. The dark brown of her eyes scanned over Katerina and raised an arched eyebrow as she began to chuckle beneath her breath.

Katerina couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed by her laughter.

“What do you find so amusing, may I ask?” Katerina glared up at her, her voice strong and forceful, “I hardly see the humor.”

The woman stopped laughing and looked at Katerina incredulously. She leaned toward her, “Ye know, for one o’ Jack’s women ye like to talk all proper.”

“Jack’s woman I am not!” Katerina stood up in front of the girl as tall as she could go after kicking off her worn boots, “Are you?”

The woman’s eyes grew huge and rapidly slapped Katerina across the face. Katerina head snapped to the side and she held her cheek in shock. True, the slap itself wasn't hard, but enough to inflame her temper. Now infuriated with the woman, she slapped her back as if on instinct. The woman held her own face and still kept that incredulous look, but her face held an extra feature of an open mouth staring at Katerina.

“Who do you think you are slapping me?” Katerina yelled in her face risking to be slapped again or worse. The woman started to bring her hand back up but looked behind her after hearing a soft laugh from the hallway behind her.

“If you must know, her name is Anamaria,” Jack was seen by clear view of both woman leaning on the opposite wall across from the cabin's doorway, “She’s one of my best crew mates and usually follows my orders of no harm.”

“Capn’,” Anamaria looked at him then back at Katerina, “I was-”

“What ever it was we don’t be needing any more of it,” he pushed off the wall and nodded toward the end of the hallway.

Anamaria nodded back and shot Katerina another look of distaste before she stepped out of the cabin grumbling as she went and leaving the lantern on the small table by the door.

Jack lifted something into the room in a large, and what looked like soiled bag. He shut the door after Anamaria made her complete exit and gave a small smile to Katerina, “Now, what was that all about you saying about your dear papa being rich?”

Katerina knew that this conversation was coming, but she wasn't so sure how to proceed.

“Are you going to tell me about your papa’s wealth or not?” Jack stepped closer to Katerina forcing her to back up and fall back on the bed.

“My father and I are very well respected! Well . . . at least for the most part,” she thought back to the talk in the carriage, “I’d rather not discuss such things as this with a pirate captain.”

“It’s better talking to the captain then the rest of the crew down in the galley, don’t you think?” Jack offered and nodded his head in what she guessed was direction of the galley.

“You would think so wouldn’t you? But I hardly talk to my father on such subjects and would rather not discuss it with a common pirate.”

“A common pirate?” he pointed to his chest and feigned a hurt look.

She crossed her arms and tried to look smart, “I would think that a captain would be more considerate of my want to keep my thoughts to myself.”

“Why so touchy on the subject in the first place?”

“Maybe because I don’t want to go back to _my father_ or talk about him-”

“And why not?”

“I might as well tell you, Mr. Jack Sparrow... that I lied,” Katerina sighed and looked away from Jack.

“Lied?” Jack asked quite intrigued at the turn in conversation, “A fine lady like you using deception? For shame, luv.”

Katerina sent him another glare.

“You will get no money or ransom from my father for my safe return. He would rather see me dead out on the sea then to see me safe at home. He does not love me nor dote on me as most fathers dote on their daughters.”

“And what of your betrothed?” Jack asked, “The one that would have the whole royal navy after you.”

“I... I,” she wasn't sure what Timothy would do to get her back. Did he even think that she was worth that much trouble? She shook her head and focused back to the conversation, “I only told you that my father was wealthy to get on your ship in hopes that some how I would get home, maybe not to my father, but home. By any means, my father will not pay one gallon to get me back. No matter how many of my body parts you may send back to him,” she gave a slight grimace looking away and remembering the stories she had remembered from the countless books.

She heard the captain chuckle and felt her temper start to flare once more. He slowly stopped laughing and whipped the tears out of his eyes brought on by his mirth, “Body parts? I wouldn’t think of it. No . . . much too messy in my opinion. It would get blood all over my clothes. I would rather take the simpler and more civilized approach, wouldn’t you?”

Katerina couldn’t help but smile and let a small snicker escape her lips, “A pirate talking of civilized behavior! Never thought I would see the day.”

“And so set against pirates! It seems almost as set as your attempt not to talk about your papa.”

Kat ignored the reference about her father and almost yelled at Jack, “In my opinion all you pirates should be treated like dogs! Hunting around the streets looking for young women to torture. All of your kind should be thrown into a jail or prison for safekeeping . . . just so you wouldn’t be mixed up with the civilized people, like I, on the streets.”

Jack began to make a type of tsk, tsk noise from his mouth and looked at her, “I hope you know that not all us pirates are as scurvy as others, savvy?”

“Don’t lie, Mr. Sparrow. All of you are just the same,” she folded her knees into her chest and kept her eyes glued to the floorboards.

“I believe you owe me an apology.”

“For what?” she asked snapping her head to look at him.

“For insulting me and my crew, and on my own ship to top it off,” he smiled watching the incredulous look upon Katerina’s face, “I think that this calls to revoke your meal ticket.”

“Why revoke it? Were you going to give me free hand outs?”

“I was . . . but now I’m not too sure,” he said in an amused voice, trying not to show his smile by turning away.

“Really? Then what am I to eat on this boat?”

“It’s a ship. Since I was going to have you for a short time deciding to head to Port Royal and all. But you saying that a ransom is no use, it seems we are taking a detour.”

“Detour? How long of one?” she asked letting go of her knees and letting her feet drop to the ground.

“However long it takes,” Jack looked at his fingernails as if he was enthralled with them, “I do have other plans than to return lost little princesses.”

“Then what am I to eat on this _ship_?” Katerina pushed herself up from the bed and walked up next to Jack.

“Whatever you can find or whatever the crew gives you,” he put his hand down and looked at her, “Or you could work for it.”

“Work for it? I will not work under the captain of a pirate ship!”

“You don’t work, you don’t get to eat . . . unless you find some from the crew,” he leaned toward her.

“I will not work for someone who is nothing but a sniveling dog!” she nearly spat in his face.

“It’s your choice,” he leaned back and grabbed the bag from the ground where he placed it earlier, “Here are some clothes. They are work clothes and are men clothes so they might fit big. Still, it may be an update from what you are wearing now. Put them on and find me on deck if you choose to work . . . our you can stay in here and waste away.”

“You are nothing but a cruel man, Jack Sparrow! I don’t even think you deserve the title of captain!”

“And until you do, you will stay in here,” he threw the bag in her arms causing her to back up, but not fall.

She let a small grunt escape her as she rubbed her behind after it bumped into the bedpost. Jack very quickly looked over his shoulder and left the room. Katerina grabbed the bag and screamed into to it. After her face was red enough from screaming she took the clothing from the bag. She held the partially clean garments in her hands and let her mind wander for a while. Did she need food that badly to put herself under a pirate captain’s command?

She bunched the clothing in her hands and threw them on the floor, throwing the small brown boots after them. Out of the porthole in the small cabin she could see the dark waves caressing the ship. She cursed herself for not staying with her father and the carriage. She should have known better, just like everything else in her life. She picked up the clothes from the floor and placed them back in the bag, then shoved the whole thing to the side of the room.

She took her place back on the bed and laid back down. Apparently what she felt earlier in her stomach was homesickness. Now the waves seemed gentle and calming, giving her a great sense of freedom and at the same time captivity. She began to miss Harriet, little Olivia, Dena and even Robert. She could care less about the man she called father. She just wanted to go back to her cousin and maybe live with her. After this, she wasn’t sure if she could ever face her father again.

“I want off this bloody BOAT and go back home! I want to go back to Harriet and the people who care for me!”

She partially collapsed into the sheets on the bed, unaware of the captain on the other side of the door listening to the whole thing. He tipped his hat down over his eyes and went back up to his cabin for at least a good five hours of sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Katerina stayed awake for the rest of the night, unable to sleep even hours after the captain left her cabin. Neither her mind nor her stomach allowed her to have anything close to rest. There was too much to think about concerning her escape from the Black Pearl. This Jack Sparrow would never let her go onto land and there was no way she would make it in the ocean with the countless predators swimming in the salty water. She had to find a way to outsmart him to get off the ship and back to her home. She grumbled in frustration as the endless rumbling of her stomach couldn’t be helped unless she gave up her pride, which wouldn’t be any time soon.

The sun had set before she was woken by Anamaria so she had no way of knowing what time it was and she didn’t even care to count the hours since her talk with the ‘captain’. She laid on her back with her hands folded over her stomach as she looked out the small porthole to see the stars in contemplation of what to do. If she didn’t eat, she would eventually starve to death and she would never be able to see her loved ones again. That’s probably what the pirates want. They want her to waste away so they could just throw her over board! She wouldn’t stand for it; if they were thinking that she could just die unnoticed and unknown, then she was going to make sure that she would persevere and survive.

“I’m not going to die today or any other day on this bloody boat!” she hissed to no one in particular.

She got up from the bed and marched over to the door and flung it open expecting the lock to still firmly be in place. The surprise of the unlocked door almost threw her back down. She held on to the door handle and stared at it in shock. She knew he had told her to find him should she decide to work, but she didn't realize that he would let her out of her cell so easily. Maybe her escape didn't need to be so agonized over as she had originally planned.

As her foot touched the hallway planks, she looked down to see her bare shin and hopped back into her room. She had momentarily forgotten about her state of dress. There was no need for her to wear her _gown_ any longer with it looking like a collection of rags and showing every inch of her legs from the knees down. Besides, even with half of the skirt torn off it wasn’t something to do work in. She needed mobility, and should another pair of ruffians start something with her, she needed to be able to outrun them, this time.

She closed the door and quickly looked for where she had thrown the bag of clothes that Jack had donated to her. From the foot of the bed she grabbed the now wrinkled clothes from the bag and looked at them with a little more than slight disapproval.

The pants were much more then slightly baggy and she could swear that the shirt could be as big as her full body undergarment. She put the shirt and pants on trying to tuck the shirt into the pants to give her some more padding to hang the pants on. In the end she kept the breeches up by tying some of the width of the waist together. After she tied the garment up, she noticed that the pants weren't too bad of a fit length wise and thought that they were probably made for a shorter, stocky man. The white shirt had probably been worn too many voyages to be called white any longer and she cringed to think about the stain on the left sleeve. She pulled some of the lacing from her destroyed dress and tied her hair into a small ponytail at the base of her skull. While tying her hair back the sleeves of the shirt got in her way and once her hair was back, she grabbed the aging sleeves and pulled them each until they began to tear at the shoulder, giving her arms plenty of space. At least she didn't have to worry about the stain any longer. Her mind did remind her that with no sleeves, she was still showing skin, but it was a small price for what she needed from the garment. She shoved her feet into the small brown boots and thought that they were probably the cleanest piece of her new wardrobe.

She looked at her reflection in the glass of the porthole and decided that the clothes were an update from the dress. Her hand settled over the locket that was covered by the neckline of the shirt and patted it for luck. She again opened the door and looked up and down the dank hallway. Apparently even for a pirate it was either too late or too early to be up around the ship. Katerina soothed out the excess material in her shirt against her skin as a nervous tick and followed the wall down the hall. She finally made her way out to the deck and for the first time in a day or so she was able to step outside and breath the fresh sea air. The sea mist rushed by her face spraying her cheeks with the small droplets of salt water that flew up from the waves below.

The wind began blowing her ponytail every which way, unraveling what little the piece of lace held in the first place. The front part of her hair wouldn’t stay tied back and fell into her face, blocking some of her vision in the process. She blew out a puff of frustration and just pulled the lace out of her hair and let the wind have its way with the black strands. The strands hit and whipped her face and neck, some of the longer pieces of hair reaching the top part of her back.

She went to the railing and held on to it as she looked over the still dark water and sky. The two seemed to melt into one another with a barley visible line separating them. They had so much in difference, yet the two bodies seemed to find a way to meet each other in likeness and peace during the night.

She let her eyes drop close and let the sea breeze renew her outlook on the Black Pearl. From her reading on ships and from what her mother had taught her, the Pearl was one of the great ships that would probably take a lot before it was to be taken down. She ran her hand over the wood of the railing in thought and opened her eyes to look down at it. It was a strange type of wood. She couldn't seem to decide what kind it was, but it almost looked... burnt.

Flashes of a night so long ago flashed in her mind. Coughing, screaming, darkness... She shook her head and tried to wipe the memories away for now.

'The ship, Katerina. The ship. The Black Pearl,' she refocused herself back.

Even with a fine ship as this, Katerina could have hoped for better company in the captain. She was too young to remember the trip over from England, but her mother would tell her stories about the nice captain that commanded the ship and the crew on board. She was always frustrated that she couldn't remember the crossing. She had flashes when she was younger of being on a ship, but again, she was much too young to remember any details. Now, in her twenties, she didn't remember anything at all.

She stood at the railing longer than she really thought she would. Her thoughts shifted just like the waves below her. With another look out at the dark sea, she could almost feel that freedom that she was missing back home. Part of her was so glad to be away from the estate. Away from all the society that places pressure to marry and be the greatest woman she could be expected to be. Maybe that's not who _she_ wanted to be. Maybe that's not who she truly was.

“At least I’m away from father,” she muttered to the waves, “Shouldn't that be enough?”

“Enough for what?” a voice floated down from the upper deck. She looked behind her to find the captain coming down the stairs, “I thought with your attitude you’d never come out.”

“I suppose I needed some fresh air. I was tired of sitting in the room, doing nothing but hoping for a naval ship to blow his one out of the water,” she knew it was a lie, but she still had to fight. There was no way she would let him get to her. She turned her whole body, now leaning back on the railing, “Besides I couldn’t get back to sleep after my _rude_ awakening.”

“Is that why your up so early?” he stepped off the bottom step and tried to look smart keeping one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other hung to his side, fingers moving as he thought her over.

“Yes,” she said simply, looking over his head to the fading night.

“I was thinking you may have wanted some food,” he quirked one eyebrow and then looked over the horizon.

“Don’t give your hopes up, Captain,” Katerina looked at him and then out to sea in the direction he was to see if he had seen anything in particular.

“Oh, captain now is it?” he smirked still keeping his eyes on the waves.

“It was the slip of the tongue. You have made those more then once I imagine,” she stood up straight and folded her arms in front of her chest, her eyes back on his face. She tried to keep her dignity and her stable refusal to call him anything respected. Before either of them could say anything her stomach seemed to began to growl louder then the waves crashing beneath the ship.

“What’s that?” he chuckled loudly and glanced at her from the corner of his eye, “A slip of the gut?”

“So . . . I’m hungry. Is that a crime?”

“Usually hungry people get food to eat.”

“Ok, fine,” she tried to stand tall in her moment of defeat and took a deep breath, “Here is the deal. I need food; therefore, according to you I must work. But get this into your simple mind, Jack Sparrow . . . I am only working to live, not to serve.”

“Fine then,” he said as he stood to his full height and looked down a few inches to see her face plastered with her ebony hair. He put his hands on his hips and with a smirk he nodded, “You work for food. One thing though, you need to call me captain just like the rest of the crew, savvy?”

“Er- savvy,” Katerina nodded unsure what the word actually meant and looked at the captain. He didn’t look away, but just kept looking at her as if he was expecting something more from her. She stared at him, still unsure of what he was looking for.

“Savvy... what?” he asked, prodding her by pointing at himself.

Something lit in her mind and she rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh.

“Fine, _captain_ ,” she said in a type of grumble. He nodded his head and turned his attention back to the sea, placing his weight on his elbows on the railing.

“Here it comes,” his eyes focused on the far line and Katerina’s gaze followed, “Show me that sunrise.”

She took a few looks between her new captain and the skyline ahead of them. After a few seconds, she shook her head and then looked back out to sea where he was looking.

It was only a moment later when the sky burst with the bright colors of sunrise. The sun peeked over the furthest waves and began a slow climb into the sky. The sea became aflame with the oranges, reds and pinks of the coming day. It illuminated the sea with fire, the darkness chased away by the light. Katerina couldn’t help but stare in awe at the beauty of it all. She never saw the sunrise before, as she never needed to be up at such an early hour. Now that she was here, seeing such a natural wonder, she couldn't wait for tomorrow.

“It is absolutely the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” she whispered still not daring to let her eyes wander from the sight, “Do you get to see this every morning?”

“If the night before don’t hit me hard,” Jack smiled and looked at the woman, “Since we were talking on what to call each other . . . what do I call you by?”

She thought a moment, unsure on whether or not to tell this pirate her real name or not. Should she take the chance or give a fake? Her face contorted with thought, unable to make the decision. Jack noticed the thinking process and knew all too well what she was trying to think of.

“You don’t trust me,” he said simply and smiled.

“Well, do you blame me?” she turned to him crossing her arms across her chest, “After saving me, you drag me straight to your ship sure that you get a reward-”

“A reward you made up,” he reminded her and made her glare at him before continuing.

“And then plan to not give me food unless I work . . . of course I don’t trust you!”

“What have you got to lose? I already know your papa’s rich.”

“Uh . . .” she dropped her face and stare to the ground. He was right, he already knew that her family was rich, so what was the risk? Even so, she still didn’t feel comfortable enough to give a pirate her real name.

“Um . . . Kat!” she popped her head up. It wasn’t technically her real name, more like a nickname that could be taken from any number of names back on land. There was nearly no way Jack could figure out her identity from this one syllable if she didn't want him to, “Call me Kat.”

“Right then,” he stood straight up and hit her on the back of her shoulder, “Kat. . . welcome to the crew of the Black Pearl.”

Kat let out a sigh, “I’m not part of the crew, captain.”

“Of course you are! Your doing work on this ship, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then as far as I am concerned you are part of the crew,” he started to walk back up the stairs toward the wheel.

“Beautiful,” Kat tried to brush some of her hair out of her face only for it to fall over her eyes again, “Now if I am ever asked if I did something with my life, I can say I have taken part in piracy and was a crew member upon a pirate ship.”

“Coming, luv?” Jack called down to her from the wheel.

“Must you keep calling me that? I just told you my name,” her head popped into sight from the stairwell.

“Sorry, slip of my tongue I guess,” he smiled and chuckled to himself, “The rest of the crew is getting up pretty soon. When they all start their work I’ll set you up with Anamaria. She’ll teach you the ropes.”

“Wonderful,” Kat pushed her hair back and successfully put her hair up in a ponytail with the lace that stayed even with the wind, “Just _bloody_ wonderful.”

***

The knocking on the door of the estate not only echoed through the whole house, but also through his head. His hangovers were getting worse with age, he was sure. The unrelenting knocking and banging at the door at the early hours of the morning was not helping the pounding that was already in his skull. He rolled over on his side and let his feet dangle right above the exotic rug on the floor. He held his head as the pounding just grew louder and louder until he couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Will some one answer that bloody door?!” he yelled from his room.

A few seconds later the gentle voice of Dena could be heard saying greetings to a gentleman. The man’s boots made about the same amount of horrible noise as the knocking, now just in a more rhythmic pacing of his steps. Arthur got out of his bed, put the closest robe on and walked over to the railing of his staircase. Peering over he saw Captain Belstrude pacing back and forth waiting for Dena to go and fetch the master of the house. He saw her coming up the stairs and signaled for her to go back down and make the captain comfortable. She nodded her head and gave the captain directions to the sitting room where her employer would see him.

Arthur looked at his reflection in one of the hall mirrors in a vain attempt to make himself at least somewhat presentable to the dear captain. He flattened his hair on to his ever whitening head and turned back to his room in search for his gray wig to cover whatever he missed or didn’t want to fiddle with. As he brought the wig out of the drawer he was careful not to agitate his head any more then what he had to. The wig had always fit snug on his head, the statement was more than worth the headaches that usually had followed. With a tighter tie on his robe, he started his decent down the stairs careful not to let the blurring images of the steps confuse his still swirling head. With some will and great difficulty he had finally managed to find his way down the stairs without help and into the sitting room.

In one of the dark red armchairs Captain Belstrude was sitting patiently, waiting for the man to come from his room. When he caught the sight of Arthur Benikins he stood and took off his uniform hat and let his white powdered wig be bare. The strapping man was thirty years of age, nearly going on thirty-one in the upcoming winter months. The white wig covered his red hair that was nearly the same color of the childhood freckles that he still had yet to lose over the bridge of his pointed nose. Even with the red hair and the freckles on his face, the captain was handsome and one of the most sought after bachelors in the port and the surrounding cities.

“Mr. Benikins,” he stepped away from the chair and help the elder man into one of the others, “Are you quite alright, sir?”

“I wouldn’t know quite yet, Captain,” he held his head as he sat down and let the young captain take his seat before he began, “What is your purpose for coming this early to my doors?”

“I wasn’t sure if you had heard, sir,” he bowed his head, “I would think that you would have come by my office at least once to tell me the news face to face. I mean, with all things considered, sir, it is your daughter that is missing.”

“I know,” he growled and made the captain raise his head, “I know that my daughter is missing.”

“Then why did you not care to inform me?”

“I was actually on my way to inform you yesterday, but I was side tracked and wanted to bury my feelings in a cup, if you know what I mean,” Arthur didn’t even care to mention what feelings that he was burying.

Of course the captain took the feelings as sorrow and not of the joy of new deal, “Yes, you must be terribly distraught.”

“Yes- terribly,” Arthur tried to find another subject to discuss to get the captain on his way, “If you don’t mind Captain, I would like to get some more sleep. My head is giving me quite a cursed headache.”

“I just wanted to clarify something, sir,” the captain stood up with Arthur, “And to give you a promise.”

Arthur thought that he might as well try and listen, even if he would not remember what was said the next time he awoke. He turned back toward the captain and waited for him to continue. He stood with the tri-corner hat fumbling in his hands, probably looking for the right words to say.

“Out with it then, Captain.”

“I just wanted to say that the whole fleet is hot on the trail of any or all ships that traveled out of the port that night. There are only about four that we have not questioned or searched. We _will_ find her.”

“And what of your promise?”

“My promise, sir, is that I will look high and low for your daughter until my dying breath is drawn from my body. You know that I love your daughter more than anyone else on this island or possibly in the whole world. I have ever since I came here as a little boy when my father was captain. I will find her no matter what it takes and I will kill whatever pirate had taken her. I can only hope that the cad gives a fight, and then I wouldn’t have to wait to bring him back here and watch him take that short drop from the platform.”

“I’m sure you will make quick work of him, Captain,” Arthur turned away from him again and started up the stairs, “Dena! Bring me a cold piece of cloth for my head after you show the captain to the door.”

Dena nodded from her post outside the sitting room and took the captain by the arm and toward the door, “This way, sir.”

“I know perfectly well where the door is. I do not need the directions from the help,” he snatched his arm away from her and ran to the bottom of the stairs, “I _will_ find her again, sir, you have my sworn word.”

“Very good, Captain,” Arthur waved his hand at him sounding very annoyed, “I thank you for it. I would gladly give you her hand in marriage as soon as you find her.”

The captain smiled, glad that he had finally gotten through to the old man, and had the agreement in verbal tongue and with a witness to testify if need be; even if the witness was only the help.

“Thank you, sir,” he bowed and left the estate, briskly walking down the steps and out to his horse to make it back to the fort before the afternoon.

Dena looked at the captain and then wondered what was best for her friend. To be lost at sea or to be brought back to marry someone she did not love at all? To be forced to live the rest of her life with some one who didn’t seem to love her back as he didn’t even have the decency to ask her for her hand in person . . . what kind of life would she lead then?

“Dena! Where is that cold cloth I asked for?” Mr. Benikins yelled from his room.

“Coming, sir,” she ran into the kitchen to place a cloth in some cold water and rushed it in to her master.

Once coming out of the room she looked out the window and toward the sunrise, ‘Katerina . . . keep running. Find a better home than the one you left behind.’

She smoothed out her dress and attended to the early morning chores yet to be done before the noon hour.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5** **:**

Kat stood on the top deck of the Pearl next to Jack as he commanded the wheel. She noticed that he looked like he was meant to be there. He handled the wheel with such tenderness and careful measurements that she was quite sure that the ship was made for him. Or he for the Pearl. Every so often Jack took his curious compass out to check his bearings.

“You know that it isn't pointing North,” Kat mentioned offhandedly from behind his shoulder.

“Aye,” he nodded and snapped the compass closed as he looked over his shoulder at her, “It isn't meant to.”

Kat tilted her head in confusion, but then shook her head. Jack Sparrow is a confusing man and she just had to accept that.

Kat watched as the rest of the crew stumbled out from the rooms below and onto the deck. Most were either still groggy or just as drunk as the captain seemed the majority of the time. The first mate, Mr. Gibbs, trudged up the stairs carrying a small pouch in his hand, possibly filed with the vile drink that was all too familiar in Jack’s breath. He looked up at Kat with a smile and bowed his head a little. He said a small greeting and walked over to Jack.

“So the young missy came out from her room, eh?”

“Aye, and possibly wants to do work if I heard right. Take the wheel and we’ll find Anamaria.”

“Aye, Cap’n,” Mr. Gibbs grabbed the wheel and Kat couldn’t help but notice how different his touch on the Pearl was from Jack's.

“Ready, luv?” Jack walked past her waving a hand in one of his flamboyant gestures.

“Kat, Captain,” she reminded him. She doubted that he even paid any heed to the correction as he walked down the stairs and headed toward the far side of the ship.

Kat ran to keep up with him at first but eventually fell into stride with him. He kept his head up and tried to look dignified as he walked through his crew. He shouted a few orders as he walked. Kat noticed the confused looks of his crew and thought that they must not be used to Jack issuing orders as he was. He was showing off. For who, she wasn't sure. They finally had made it to the far port side where another woman was trying to secure a small boat to the side of the ship. Kat had noticed earlier that morning that the boat’s rope had snapped and no one wanted to fix it before they went to bed.

“Anamaria,” Jack called to her.

She looked behind her after fixing the last line and saw them both behind her, “Aye, cap’n?”

Her look still seemed to spit with hatred when she met Kat’s eyes. Kat had nearly forgiven her for slapping her and she had felt a little guilty about slapping her back, but now . . . now she wasn’t sure to feel hostility or comradeship toward this crew member. Jack noticed the staredown between the two and started to snicker to himself, but stopped abruptly when both women looked at him.

“Anamaria, I need you to show Kat here the ropes,” Jack said patting Kat on the back and pushing her forward, “Just give her some of your less enjoyable tasks, that anyone can do.”

“Why did I get stuck with the _lady_?” she crossed her arms.

“Well, you both are women,” Jack said trying to make sense of his decision, “I must be getting back to my duties. Remember Anamaria, she don’t know much, so keep her to the small tasks.”

With that Jack walked away toward the top deck, yelling orders again as he went. Both women let out a breath a frustration and looked at each other. Anamaria walked around Kat, looking and scrutinizing her for the second time. Kat clenched her fists in an attempt to keep her temper in check. She _hated_ being scrutinized. After a minute Anamaria stopped and rubbed her head.

“Well, ye aren’t well built enough for the real ropes,” she felt Kat’s arms and looked up at the ropes displayed above their heads to show what she was referring to, “And ye barley ‘ave any muscles. So . . . what to do with ye.”

Kat did not like how she was naming her physical downfalls, but at least she didn’t know about her past, then it would be even worse. Anamaria thought for a moment, rolling her eyes as she went through her thought process. She suddenly snapped her fingers and turned on her heel.

“Come with me,” she said over her shoulder and walked back into the belly of the boat and toward the galley.

Kat followed close behind, not really knowing what to make of the crew. Some were very scraggly looking, while others looked . . . well at least a little better. One man even had a white wig on, like the men wore on land. He also looked a little older than most of the crew. He stood next to the barrels and crates on the deck and looked like he was counting their supplies.

'Must be the Cooper, checking the supplies for the next port,' Kat thought to herself and saw a man with wild red hair next to him with a small hammer and some wood work next to him. She slowed her pace and tried to figure out the man's job, 'Carpenter maybe?'

“'Ey, princess! Any time now,” Anamaria popped her head out of the door she had only walked through.

“Sorry,” Kat stumbled a moment, still not used to the waves under the ship.

As she went in through the door that lead down into the galley she saw a parrot sitting upon an older man’s shoulder. Both the parrot and the man looked at her.

The parrot squawked and said, “There be treasure!”

Kat saw Anamaria look back over her shoulder, “Tha’ was Mr. Cotton and his parrot. The poor devil had his tongue cut out so the parrot talks for ‘em.”

“So what was the matter about treasure for?”

“Tha’ just means that he likes ye,” Anamaria turned forward and laughed a little when she caught the look on Kat's face.

They soon came up to the galley and Anamaria opened the door for her, “Well ‘ere’s the galley. I wan’ ye to clean every spot in this room.”

“ _Every_ spot?”

“Aye, _every_ spot,” she smiled and nudged Kat into the room, “The mop’s in the corner.”

“Where shall I get clean water?” Kat asked as she spotted the state of the bucket next to the mop.

“Ye fetch it from the side, o' course,” Anamaria shook her head in disgrace, “There be plenty of water out there.”

Kat nodded with a grimace and Anamaria walked off to attend to her duties on the real ropes. Kat stuck out her chest and took a deep breath, which she later regretted because of the smell that filled the galley. She coughed and had to put her hand in front of her mouth to stop herself from throwing up whatever was left in her stomach. No wonder Anamaria gave her this, she wanted her to suffer.

“Might as well start,” she went to the corner to notice the worst mop she had ever seen. When she first looked over, she just noticed the bucket, but didn't see the state of the mop until she got closer. The head was filled with something that resembled tar and the bucket was filled with the grimiest water imaginable.

“No wonder this place smells to high heavens, look at their cleaning implements,” she took the bucket and mop and trudged back out to the deck.

Mr. Cotton watched as she went, puffing on his pipe as she drug the bucket behind by a rope. She tossed the black water over the side and tightened the rope around the bucket before tossing it into the water. She nearly went over with it once she caught the waves below her. She pulled tight on the rope and pulled the bucket from the flow of water. She struggled with each pull now fully aware how weak her arms truly were. Once the bucket was back on deck, she took careful steps to clean out what she could of the mop over the side. Once that was finished she put the mop over her shoulder and trudged with the nearly full bucket of water back to the galley.

She stomped by Mr. Cotton and stopped momentarily to truly take him in, “Mr. Cotton, was it?”

“Wind in your sails,” his parrot squawked and stared directly at her.

“Um, yes,” she took her time, unsure she should really be talking to a parrot, “Is Anamaria always like this?”

“Any port in the storm,” the parrot answered with the man shrugging his shoulders in addition.

“I see...” Kat nodded and rearranged her grip on the bucket when she found it sliding, “Thank you, Mr. Cotton.”

“Anchors aweigh.”

Kat carried the mop and water to the side of the galley and wiped at her forehead, already regretting her decision, “Maybe I should have starved to death.”

She rubbed her hands together and took a cleansing breath, before remembering of the galley smell. She coughed again and reminded herself to try and work as close to windows whenever possible. With that thought, she grabbed the handle of the partially clean mop and set to work starting with the floors.

Even as the daughter of a wealthy nobleman, Kat had at times helped Dena with her chores. It was the best way to have time with her friend without her father judging her. The labor with Dena had began as punishments when she was little, but as time went on, she began to enjoy the duties with her friend and actually asked to go along with her during them. She would clean a little and help with the horses, but nothing too much. Dena would never allow her to do something so hard that she may hurt herself.

After hours of scrubbing the dirty and horribly drenched floor, she grabbed a torn piece of material and began to wipe down the tables and surfaces. Thinking back she should have started with the table tops as she would now have to at least sweep the floors again with what was coming off the table tops. With a couple more hours under her belt and a few tricks she had learned from Dena, she was done.

She stood at the edge of the room and looked over the work. She had done it. She was covered in left over food stains, dirt and God knows what else, but she had done it. She had cleaned every spot in the bloody room and was very proud of herself. She wiped her face with the only clean spot on her arm and put the mop in the now clean corner.

After a sigh of happiness escaped from her she brushed her hands of the chore, grabbed the bucket to empty it and opened the door. Just on the other side of it was the crew. They were just about to eat their first meal and had just reached the door when she had finished.

She watched them run in and take a place by a table. Some of them didn’t notice the cleaner environment, but others began to notice the difference.

“Ey, my smell is gone, and it now . . . it’s different.”

“I knows tha’ smell. My wife called it clean.”

“The new crew girl sure knows how to clean up good . . . how nice,” one of the pirates clasped his hands together and the whole table laughed, “Before we know it, she’ll be makin' our beds. Like a good little woman.”

“It’s not like she’s good for much else.”

Kat frowned at the crew and was about to say something until Anamaria came in dangerously close to the bucket still in Kat's arms. She looked at the galley and nodded.

“Not bad, for an islander,” she pushed past her and sat down at the smaller table close to the back wall.

“For an islander, eh? I-” she dropped the bucket to the floor and began to step forward until a hand clasped over her shoulder.

“I wouldn’t be doing that,” she looked behind her to see Jack holding a plate for her, “I bet the men would love to see you fight Anamaria, but you wouldn’t last long.”

“So you say, Captain,” she looked over at Anamaria again with a snarl, “I have worked all morning on this galley and she only spits at it. Well . . . I spit on her.”

“Now, now, I won’t be having words like that about anyone on this ship,” she lowered her head and started to breath, “I was thinking you may be hungry after all that hard work.”

Jack held out the plate for her to see. The plate had a portion of rice, a slice of what looked like beef and some questionable vegetables, with some sort of biscuit sitting on top of the rice. As hungry as she felt, Kat wasn't bothered on the quality as long as it was food. She grabbed the plate grateful that she would actually be able to eat again. He smiled and turned away, “Unless you want to eat with the crew, I suggest you find another spot.”

“And where do you suggest, Captain?” Kat ran after him with the delicious plate of food in her hands.

“You could join me,” he said.

Kat raised an eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously, “Why would you want me to join you?”

“Mr. Gibbs wanted a talk with Cotton, so I thought that you could keep me company.”

“Thank you for the offer, Captain, but I would rather sit on deck and watch the afternoon sun on the waves.”

“Suit yer self then,” he shrugged his shoulders and walked back toward his cabin. Kat walked over to a crate left out and began to eat all she could off her plate. She stuffed the biscuit into her mouth and savored the juicy meat. Never in all her life was she that hungry.

After her lunch was complete she headed back to the galley where the pirates were finishing up and leaving. The plates were all piled up and much to Kat’s disappointment, there were scraps of food everywhere on the floor. One by one the pirates filed out the door and back to their duties. Tearloch, a large man that Kat later found out was the on board cook took the plates back with him toward the kitchen.

Anamaria was the last one to leave the galley. She sauntered up to Kat with a small smile on her lips, “Guess who’s job all this is?”

Kat had one guess, “I’ll get the mop back out.”

As she passed Anamaria Kat felt her bump into her hard and gave a small chuckle. After Anamaria stepped up the stairs and into the sunlight with a bounce in her step, Kat began to wipe off all the left over food from the tables onto the floor for later.

“Bloody pirates.”

***

Days and soon weeks began to blend together; each new day bringing more labor, but soon after even more food. Kat kept herself busy in the galley or out on the deck, scrubbing away whatever the crew had left behind. She was moved from one unpleasant task to another. She moved on from the galley to the deck and then from the deck to tending after the small amount of animals they had on board. Her muscles began to grow stronger by the lifting and the scrubbing underneath the tables and on the floorboards. Anamaria eventually caught sight and tried to move her on to the tougher task of taming the real ropes.

“Now all ye ‘ave to do is untangle those lines from around the sails,” Anamaria pointed to the jumble of lines in the middle portion coming from the mainmast, “Ye need help figuring out where they go?”

“I have seen them when they are correct,” Kat answered and rubbed her hands together after catching herself smoothing out her shirt.

Kat didn’t see why she couldn’t tame a small job of untangling the lines from the sail. It was just a small portion of the sail as it was. She had read about it so many times in her books and seen it even more times by the docks.

She tossed off her boots and grabbed onto one of the Mainmast standing rigging. She pulled her hand back from the feeling of tar on the rope. She heard jeers from the pirates behind her with Anamaria leading the fray. Kat rubbed the tar from her hands and grabbed a clean line to pull herself toward the tangle. The sounds below intensified with shouted catcalls and whistles. All they thought of her was that she was a good, pretty thing to look at. Nothing really more then a good sight to see once in a while and their maid.

As the lines around her began to get tighter she began to wonder if she would make it to the tangle. She had never climbed on a ship’s rigging and wouldn’t really have minded to stay in the galley. She took a look under her and gasped at the distance. She wasn't one to be afraid of heights, but knowing that she had no safety net was concerning. She took a look at Anamaria and saw the knowing smirk on her face. Kat suddenly had another surge of courage and turned back to her task. She was a foot away from reaching the tangle.

On her next foothold the unstable rigging collapsed from underneath her foot and in a split second she was hanging upside down and screaming, a section of rope wrapped tightly around her leg. She looked down to see the whole crew staring up at her pointing and laughing at her misfortune . . . with Anamaria leading them in their taunting.

Kat felt her breathing speed up and she knew she had to get a hold of her fear, or she would start to hyperventilate. She couldn’t focus as the now silent tears began to overflow her vision. She closed her eyes to clear her vision and tried to grab a hold of another piece of rope to pull herself up. Nothing seemed to be in her reach. Her other leg was nearly no help as it just swung in the wind, hoping that maybe the effortless flailing would catch another rope.

Suddenly the laughing stopped and she tried to see what was happening, but the tears were still in her eyes and the scene below was smeared with every color imaginable. She closed her eyes again, thinking that they may actually be so kind as to help her down, but soon after all she heard was more snickering and whispers from below. But why whispers now, when just a moment ago they were heartily laughing?

“Kat! Ye all right, luv?” Jack's voice carried up to her.

She turned her head toward his voice and wiped at her eyes, now able to see clearer. He had taken off his large, heavy jacket and was about to take off his hat as well.

“I'm coming to get you,” he said and pointed up at her. His voice sounded a bit annoyed and unimpressed at her first time in the ropes. He was being pulled from his duties to come and save her yet again. She wouldn't have it.

“No!” Kat yelled down at him and pointed one finger down at him, “Don't you dare!”

Jack froze in his spot and looked behind him as if she was pointing at one of his crew behind him. He then turned back to her, “I'm sorry, what?”

“Just let the Cap'n come and get ye,” Anamaria looked up at her in exasperation, “You need rescuin'.”

“I am not going to be a bloody damsel in distress!” she yelled and then turned her head to look back at the lines around her. Her fear was quickly replaced with anger and bullheaded willpower, “And I am NOT going back to the galley. Not anymore.”

She pulled on her leg to see how tight the line was wrapped around her and then began to swing gently toward the closest line. She reached out on her third swing and grabbed a tight hold of the new line. She managed to turn her body around and take a good look at her leg. She held herself with one arm and her free leg on the new line as her other pulled at the stubborn line around her trapped leg. She was finally able to pull her leg out and noticed the marks on her skin. There would be bruising, but she was free.

“Good job, Kat,” Jack called up to her and waved his hand up at her as if calling down a child who climbed up a tree, “Now climb back down here.”

“Job's not done yet, Captain,” she called back down and though she was exhausted, she looked back at the original tangle.

Jack turned to Anamaria and asked her, “What she be thinking?”

“No clue,” Anamaria shook her head, but kept her eyes on the young woman, “I will give her that she is pretty bull headed.”

Jack only hummed his agreement and kept a close eye on Kat just in case. Jack looked at the crew who was still waiting for her to drop out of the rigging. He barked a quick, “Back to work!”

The whole body of the crew shifted gear as they all attended to the rest of their work.

Kat, now careful about her pull on the running rigging, untangled the lines with a lot less resistance than she was expecting. With a deep breath, she finished the task and made her way down the Mainmast. Once on the deck she looked at Anamaria with a victorious smile.

“Lines untangled,” she nodded and dusted off her hands, “Anything else?”

“Not at the moment,” Anamaria answered, took a look at Jack and then walked over to the side of the Mainmast to check the standing rigging.

Kat turned to look at Jack who was putting his hat and jacket back on.

“Thank you, Captain,” Kat said with a nod in his direction, “I appreciate the thought of rescue.”

“Don’t worry about it. You didn't even need my help,” Jack smiled and tugged at the front of his jacket, “Although I really think that you should stick to the galley from now on.”

“No,” Kat reached for his arm, “Please Captain. I want to have a chance to show the crew that I can be as valuable as any of them.”

“You did,” he nodded to the lines around them, “Not every sailor can get themselves out of a tangle while upside down. You could have fallen from that, you know.”

“It just shows I need more practice is all,” she shrugged and looked up as well, “I like it up there. I bet the views are spectacular and the wind is exactly what I need.”

Jack looked into her eyes and searched for what she was thinking, “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” she nodded.

“If I have to come rescue you...”

“Then I guess I will just add it to the debt I already have,” she shrugged and rubbed the back of her head, “You saved me from those men in Tortuga. I am already in debt to you. But it is my plan to not do that again.”

“All right,” he took a step back and tapped on his collarbone and then pointed to her, “Just make sure you secure your shiny. If one of the crew finds it, you may not get it back.”

Kat gasped and grabbed at her neck where her locket now hung outside of her shirt. She placed the locket back inside the shirt and tried to secure it around some strings hanging off the shirt.

Jack chuckled, turned from her and waved as if to say, 'Carry on'. Kat smiled at his back and looked to Anamaria again.

“What's next?”

***

After the day hanging in the lines, Kat found herself more out on deck and out of the galley. She did nearly everything else the men did and sometimes tried to do it twice more in amount. The catcalls and whistling eventually stopped, much to Anamaria’s disappointment. Kat soon realized that some of the crew may actually start to warm up to her and accept her.

 _Accept her_ . . .

Now why does that seem so strange a thought? That single thought set a flock of new ones through her mind. She was never truly accepted in her own home, but now- on a pirate ship of all places- she started to feel like she belonged. Crew members began to search her out for opinions or for some conversation away from the normal ship chatter. They would ask her about Port Royal and any news of England since it had been years since they heard of either.

Tearloch, the cook, would ask her to taste his meals to get a woman's point of view and respected her feedback. She didn't know too much of cooking, but she knew what tasted good. Hendry, a muscular dark skinned man, asked her for her opinion on pearls and jewels he was hoping to take home to his wife on land. She would only warn him of trying to trick his lovely wife into thinking that the jewels once hung around the queen's neck. He would laugh and nod in agreement even though he kept going with his plan. She would sit among the crew as Mr. Gibbs would tell the impressive tales of their Captain and their once cursed ship.

She was _accepted_.

She did the work, and she was allowed to eat and stay. The work started to become harder, but she welcomed it with open arms. The blood that began to appear on her hands was pleasurable to Kat. She knew that if there was blood, she had done the work to her full extent, even if the pain was somewhat unbearable at times.

She soon began to wake with the sun . . . and find Captain Sparrow at the railing waiting for that new horizon. Who knew . . . maybe she too was looking for a new horizon of her own.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

The new days brought both comfort and worry to Kat.

As time went on, what were the developments at home? Were boats out still looking, or did all of them give up hope on her? Sometimes she would catch herself looking out at the horizon from the deck, fearful that she would find white sails blocking some light from the rising sun.

Fearful . . . why fearful? Shouldn’t she be looking forward to the navy coming to get her? But that more than likely will mean that the Pearl’s whole crew would be captured and hung, including Jack. Even if they were not the ones to take her, them just being pirates would be enough of an offense to hang.

With all the changing opinions around her, Kat never really knew what to make of the flashy Captain Sparrow, although she never did before the perception change. At times he could be the most egotistical and pompous man she has ever known. He looked after his best interests and his chances of fortune. Then, at other times he could show so much care and concern in his actions toward her and the crew. At times she can’t even find one reason not to trust him, but then from the back of her mind she is reminded once again of his occupation. Some chills would go up and down her back as she thought of the things that he must have done in his past. Singing his song of marauding and looting, but she still couldn’t picture him doing any of the sung acts. Hearing the song so much from not only the captain, but the crew as well, she too had learned the whole song and caught herself humming it as she worked.

She woke up once again in the small bed facing toward the porthole. Sunlight could not be seen through the small circular window and Kat smiled as she thought it was still early morning. She would be able to beat the sun once again and get a jump on her morning chores. The other men weren’t even up yet and she would get at least half of her chores done before they would even step out onto the deck. She would earn that five shilling bet that she made with Marty in no time.

Kat sat up in her bed and grabbed a blue bandanna she had picked up from the lower decks while cleaning and tied it around her head to keep her hair back. The lace that was ripped off her dress no longer could hold up her hair and she needed to find something else as she refused to cut her hair short. If Anamaria could keep her hair long, so could she. Once she found the bandanna she washed it countless times before she deemed it clean enough to wear; besides her hair is not as clean as it once was. With the days out on deck and with the sea air, it had turned into a giant knot, which she didn’t even want to try to comb or untangle for fear the whole thing would rip off her scalp. As she secured the knot on the back of her head she felt the ship lurch to the side abruptly.

“What was that?” she slung her feet over the side and threw the thin blanket off of her. Again the ship lurched to the other side and she was thrown to what little floor she had in her room. She stumbled as she tried to gain her balance and staggered toward the door.

She threw it open and then understood why the ship was rocking and why the sun hadn’t come up. Water was flooding over the hallway leading out toward the deck. Outside on the deck the whole crew rushed back and forth trying to hold down the sails and the other important objects upon the deck. Mr. Cotton rushed past her as his parrot flew over her head in the hallway. It flapped its wings and refused to follow its master out into the stormy weather.

“How did this come about?” Kat asked herself.

“Batten down the hatches!” the parrot squawked from under its cover.

Kat could see the other crew members fighting the waves of water as it pushed them over and threatened to push them into the sea. She would see a few go over the side, but then climb back on with a grip on some of the lines or the side of the ship. Soon enough they will be too tired and would not be able to hold on for long. She steadied her resolve and headed out into the storm to help with the mizzenmast sails.

On her way to the sails she ran up to a group of men who were trying to keep a smaller boat from going over the side. She grabbed the rope with them and started to heave in time with the others. With a few tugs, they brought the small boat flush against the ship and Kat let go of the rope. As they secured the boat down on the deck Kat heard the yelling between the captain and first mate, Mr. Gibbs.

“How are we goin’ to make it through this, Cap’n?” Mr. Gibbs held tight to the railing on the top deck.

Jack held tightly on the wheel keeping the course that he saw fit to ride through the storm, “The Pearl can take it! We’ll make it through!”

Kat watched closely as she saw Jack fight with the wheel, trying to keep his own ship from going to the depths as so many had before. She walked through the other men as she fought against the stinging drops on her face toward her original goal. At any time she was expecting for drops of blood to come off her face as the vicious drops continued to drown her.

Another large wave crashed against the side of the ship and Kat flew against the starboard railing. She grit her teeth and pushed herself up despite the pain and heard a voice from over the railing. She looked over and saw Anamaria trying desperately to hang on.

Kat held one hand on a battened down cannon and then stretched her other hand down toward the struggling woman, “Anamaria! Here!”

Anamaria looked up at her like she was crazy. Neither one of the women really knew why she was helping her, but she only thought it was only right to help another; especially in a situation like this. Anamaria grabbed her hand and both women pulled to get her back up on deck. Before she did anything else Anamaria stared at her straight in the eyes.

“Thank ye!” she yelled at her through the wind. She took a second more to look her in the face, her body soaked in the rain water. She furrowed her brows, “Why'd ye help me?”

Kat shook her head with an eye roll. She would think that the answer was obvious. They were crew mates and despite their run ins, they were still effectively on the same team. Kat only patted her shoulder before she got back on her feet, “You're welcome.”

Anamaria was expecting another answer, but just pushed past Kat to wrangle the loose rigging behind her.

Kat looked at her and just shook her head. She will probably never understand Anamaria. With another jolt of the ship she saw that others had a hold of the mizzenmast sails and she began to make her way to the helm. Along the way men were struggling to keep the sails down with the unrelenting winds and Kat had to help or see others go over the side. She didn't want to loose any of these men. They were good men and deserved their lives, no matter what the laws that governed the lands said.

After helping the closest men to the stairway she climbed up the stairs on all fours slipping every other hold on the slick wood. She made her way up to the wheel and held the railing where Mr. Gibbs was only a few moments before. Kat looked around and found the round man helping another group of men tie down the last bit of the ship. She looked at Jack who was trying to keep his concentration on the wheel and whatever obstacles that could be seen from the flashes of the lightning.

She not only felt, but more than likely also looked terrified. She watched as he tried to keep the wheel steady with in his grasp and probably noticed her prominent emotion. He gave her a reassuring smile showing his few gold teeth and immediately was almost thrown off the wheel. Kat rushed forward and helped him hold the wheel over to the port side as he was trying to do earlier. He pulled himself back up to a better position and gave her a smirk as he saw her help him hold the wheel. They both kept their concentration on their hands clasping tight to the slick wood, though they were both very aware of the close proximity they found themselves in.

Jack leaned closer to her, “Hold on just a few minutes more, Kat. We're almost out of it.”

Kat nodded a little shaken by not only the experience, but the closeness of Jack was throwing her off. She felt her heart in her throat and her ears were pounding in rhythm to her frantic heartbeat. She followed Jack's instructions without hesitation when he asked her to help turn the wheel. She didn't need any extra prompting, and they worked together without a hitch, both finding a stride that suited both of them.

As they were both holding the wheel, turning starboard, Kat’s hands slipped off and she fell to the side of the deck; hitting the side of the wooden railing and into the inch of water that had already gathered on the deck. She cried out in pain as she felt the large blow to her side. She grabbed at what had to be a bruised rib and held it tightly in her grasp, keeping her eyes shut tight and her teeth clenched.

From the middle of the deck she could hear Jack yelling at her, “You all right, Kat?”

“I’ll be fine, Captain!” Kat pushed herself off the floorboards and tried to balance herself. She couldn't stay down. She had work to do.

Before she gained her full confidence in her legs again, the wheel slipped from Jack’s grip and she was once again thrown to the side, but instead of falling to the floor again, she was thrown over the side. She felt a scream rip from her throat as she fell further and further from the railing and into the cold, salt water.

“Kat!” Jack yelled through the rain, “Gibbs, take the wheel!”

Mr. Gibbs ran up the stairs as fast as he could and Jack held a piece of rope in his hand, to keep himself from being lost over the side as well. His head swung back and forth trying to find a trace of the woman lost over the side and saw a small shadow as the lightning lit up the area beneath the ship.

Jack dove in after her, of course leaving his hat and jacket by the wheel with Gibbs. He sliced through the water trying to find her, the water pushing him every which way and the rain still pouring even harder overhead. He opened his eyes and watched the whole scene as the lightning from the storm above lit the water and he found the limp figure floating in below the waves.

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her head above water with him. The waves were still everywhere, rocking every which way. The ship, surprisingly enough was still not too far away and Jack tugged on his rope to be pulled back on board. The rope began to fight against the currents, crew members on the other end trying with all their might to bring the captain back on board with dead weight. Both Jack and Kat hit the side of the ship as they were pulled up, Jack squinting a few times while Kat made no signs of contact with the ship in her body or her face.

As soon as they were pulled on board Jack laid Kat on the deck. He held her head still and patted her cheeks on either side, “Kat! Luv, you got to open your eyes!”

With no response he began to pump on her chest, “Come on Kat.”

Anamaria stood nearby and watched the whole scene, “Tha' was madness, Cap’n. Ye could ‘ave been killed.”

“And she _would_ have if I didn’t go after her,” he said harshly still trying to bring her back. He opened her mouth and began to breathe into it to mimic the breathing that she should be doing on her own . . . hopefully something would come of it, “Don’t die on me now.”

He took another breath, but before he could use it Kat began to cough up the water that was lodged in her throat. Jack let out his breath in a relieved sigh and looked down at her, “Now, that’s a girl.”

Kat concentrated on the floorboards as she let the water gush out from her mouth. The water receded after a few seconds and she was left taking deep breaths and grasping her chest. Looking horrified, she turned to Jack, Anamaria and some of the crew looking back at her with different facial expressions. Jack's was filled with relief and Anamaria’s was full of what looked like she didn't know how to feel. She looked down at herself and despite the rain, noticed that she was way too wet.

“Well, that was interesting,” her eyes rolled back and she fainted on the floor.

“You know, I can’t always save you. I have much more important things to do,” Jack smiled and shook his head at her unconscious form.

Slowly he picked her up and walked her down from the helm toward his cabin. The rain and storm had began to slow and he knew that Gibbs would not have any problem handling the helm. He kicked open his doors and placed her on his giant bed to rest. With great care, he took off her boots and covered her with whatever blankets and skins that he could find to make sure she didn’t catch cold. He didn’t dare to try and take off her wet clothes because he was sure that would ultimately lead to certain death. Jack turned back to the door where Anamaria stood in the open doors. Her face showed confusion and some relief.

He walked past Anamaria and back out the door and into the storm, “Anamaria, get back to your duties.”

“Aye, cap’n,” she paused a moment, took a look back in the room to the unconscious woman and then turned to help some men take count of what was lost.

***

Kat woke up with the sound of arguing voices on the other side of a cabin door. This wasn’t her usual room, or usual bed for that matter. She kept the covers up to her chin and tried to look around as best she could. It looked as if it was the captain’s quarters, with the fine craftsmanship on every wall she was sure it was. The dark wood was covered with scenes etched into it, looking just like random pictures drawn in a book. The tables surrounding the bed were long and covered with maps and trinkets that must have been collected through many adventures at sea. Kat had no energy to move a muscle, otherwise she would be up and pouring over those maps. She always loved the maps her father tried to keep hidden in his study.

Outside the back windows she saw the sky was still dark, but there was no sign that the storm was still going on. The sun had gone down on what must have been a horrible and tiring day for the whole crew. Before Kat could look at anything more in the cabin or through the window, she heard the rush of voices from the other side of the door once again and shut her eyes thinking that they may come in. From the sound of it, the two arguing were Jack and Anamaria. The subject she would soon find out.

“She is no crew member, Cap’n! She is a member of the _great society_ back on land and should be taken back to her own kind,” Anamaria shouted and pointed to the doors that led to his cabin, “She's goin' te get killed out 'ere!”

“Own kind? There is only one kind of humans, Anamaria,” he leaned on the door, “And right now she is going to stay on this ship.”

“The whole crew has been complainin’ Cap’n. Ever since she came on this ship we ‘ave had to walk on eggshells to make her comfy.”

“That’s strange to hear . . . even Mr. Gibbs has come up to me and told me even if it be bad luck to have her on board, she is becoming a pleasure each day.”

“Tha’s his opinion.”

“And this is yours,” he paused and pushed off the door, “And mine is that she be a good member and has shown her value. She will be staying on this ship for as long as I say. You have no more worries about her. You won't be teaching her any longer.”

“Wha’ do ye mean?”

“You will have all yer duties back and she will start with new jobs set by me. You will not have to worry about taking care of her.”

There was another long pause and after a few minutes Anamaria spoke up again, “Is tha’ all, Cap’n?”

“For now,” he let out a sigh and Kat heard a set of boots walk briskly toward the outer deck. Even with her eyes closed she knew that someone had walked into the room. Their boots hit the wood making a good amount of noise until they reached the bed. Kat felt someone sit on the edge of the bed and move some of her hair off her cheek.

“I’m sorry that you have to go through this, luv,” Jack whispered and walked back out the door, closing it softly behind him.

“It’s ok . . . Captain,” Kat whispered opening her eyes and looking at the door leading to the deck. As soon as she wakes up tomorrow morning she would start again on her work, earlier than she normally would. Starting with tomorrow she would start all over.

She turned on her side and her brow furrowed with a question burning in her head, ‘Why would he care so much to risk his life to save me?’

***

For most of the night Kat laid awake and only got two hours of sleep before she woke up again. She saw that the sky was still dark, but the traces of pinks and purples could be seen out of the large back window of Jack's cabin. She took the covers and skins off of her and slung her body to the side to get her feet on the floor. She let out a small gasp and clasped her side as she felt the pain of the hit she had sustained during the storm. Despite what she wanted to do, she would have to take it easy with that side for a while. The wood in the large Captain’s cabin wasn’t as cold as the wooden floor in her small cabin. She was curious to find the wood was so warm for being so early in the morning. She wiggled her toes and then looked around the side of the bed to find her boots. She found them at the opposite corner of the bed placed neatly next to one another.

She placed her feet in them and felt that they were still wet from the day before and immediately felt the cold that was missing from the floor. She put the boots on anyway and pushed her pants into the top of them. Her clothes were still a little wet, but not as bad as the boots were inside. The blankets and skins had soaked up a good portion of the water from the material and she tried to squeeze out any extra water left behind. Sadly, she only succeeded in wrinkling her clothes even more.

She thought back to the argument the night before, and asked herself if it was really her fault she had fallen in the water. Did she cause Jack to risk his life for her? She shook her head vigorously and tried to get the thoughts out of her head to focus more on the things at hand. She had things to do and more than enough clean up to do after that storm.

She took her time to quietly sneak out of the huge cabin and onto the main deck where she found the ropes hanging from the mast ready to be worked with. She began to climb the rope up to the middle of the mast, making sure that she had a good grip around the thick poles with her legs to make sure she didn’t fall and began her work. The pain in her side still lingered, but soon after she began to focus on other things and didn’t even notice the pain. She still tried to use her other side more, just to give the injury a break.

She sang quietly as she worked with the pirate song that she has been hearing for the past month or two. She swung her head from side to side and tied the knots in rhythm as the melody repeated in her mind.

“ _Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me_ ,” she sang the last part of the song out loud as she finished the last part of the mizzenmast on the first side securing the knot tight with a final tug.

“I never heard your singing voice before,” Jack stood at the bottom on the mast, looking up at her with a smirk on his face and his arms crossed over his chest, “You should do it more often.”

“My mother had the voice of the family. I am only an echo,” she said amusingly as she slipped from one side of the mast to the other to continue her task, “I have to say, the song is catchy.”

“Is it now?” he called up to her and leaned on the mast with one hand.

“Where did you hear it from?”

“A friend of mine taught it to me,” he watched her, grip at her side with a little frown on her features, “And what do you think you are doing up there?”

“Earning my meals and keep,” she continued to work, not even looking back down at Jack, “I thought that I would get a head start at my duties this morning.”

“Well, those are no longer your duties,” he called up.

“What do you mean?” she finally looked down.

“I'm reassigning you.”

“To where, may I ask?” she sat on one of the cross beams and held tight to the rigging around her.

“I was thinking something a little more low key?”

“You are not going to demote me,” she frowned, “I earned my right to be up here. You are going to take that away because, what? I'm too fragile?”

“Kat, you know that's not it.”

“Then what is it?”

“I... I just thought that maybe you can help me out with something else for a bit.”

“What's that?” she asked, still unsure of the move.

“You once mentioned that your grandpa knew sails?”

“Yes, he was a sail master on a merchant ship...”

“Did he get to teach you anything on them?”

“No, I unfortunately never had the pleasure to meet my grandfather. But my mother did teach me quite a few things about sails,” she mentioned, “And he taught her, so very close to the same teacher. Why?”

“Some of the sails got torn up pretty badly during the storm.”

“I noticed,” she said in a dead pan as she pulled at one of the close sails nearby with a tear down its side.

“I got no sail maker on board. Do you think you are up for the task?” he asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Kat's smile grew back to its former glory, “I can definitely see what I can do. Do you have the needles and sail maker's palm?”

“Sadly our last sail maker left with his tools.”

“Then I can't be much help to you without them.”

“Then it's good thing that we're heading into port soon,” he looked at the ground and cleared his throat, “You want to get your land legs back for a time?”

“You mean I get to go on land?” she looked down her heart speeding up in excitement, then her smile immediately changed to suspicion, “Why?”

“I may be Captain, but it's been a while since I have been around any tools of the trade as it comes to sails,” he grinned and then looked around their area, “Besides, I've been getting complaints that there be no work getting done 'cause you reach it first.”

“Now really, Captain . . . you expect me to believe that the crew would be _complaining_ about that?” she looked at the lines above her head with a great grin on her face adamant on finishing the last line before heading down.

“All right then, you caught me. I thought you may need a break. Some of the crew needs to have some work to do as well.”

“How long do I get to have on land?”

“As long as the shopping and a meal can take. I’m giving the crew the night off.”

Kat stopped in her work and thought over his words before she tied the knot and looked down at him.

“Captain Jack Sparrow, are you asking to take me out to a meal? Formally?” she smirked and placed her hands on her hips, arching an eyebrow.

“And what’s so wrong ‘bout a gentleman taking a nice lady out to a meal?” he asked calling out to her with one of his smart smirks.

“Nothing at all,” she tied the last knot and swung her leg over the side to join the other one as she tilted her head from one side to the other, “. . . but for a pirate to do the same . . . I don’t know.”

“Let me ask you a question.”

“And what would that be?”

“Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?”

“No.”

“Then why don't you come down and join me for breakfast?”

“For one, were not in port yet and for another, I’m quite comfortable up here by myself,” she hung on to the mizzenmast as she stood up, balancing on the horizontal, thick pole. The sun’s rays lighting up the sky and the dark wood beneath her feet with reds and oranges.

“Now, you sure you want to be doing that?” Jack asked in a concerned voice.

“And now showing concern?” she smiled and leaned even more on the mast as she started to tip from side to side, “Captain, why so worried?”

“I'm... not,” he said crossing his arms.

Kat smiled knowingly and slid down the mast, quite ungracefully. Jack moved quickly and caught her before she fell to the deck. He caught her hips and gently lowered her to the deck. She turned in his grasp to look at him in the eyes and her hands covered his. Another smirk covered her face as she knew he would catch her. He stared at her in the eyes and then his eyes shifted to her lips. He began to lean in toward her.

She didn't quite know what to do, but quickly ducked out from under his arms and took a step away from him. He looked at the empty space where she was, a little confused on where she went. She giggled a little at his expression and he turned to her.

“I accept your offer, Captain. Just as long as you pay,” she turned on her heel and slapped her hair in his face. She began to walk back to toward the hold, “But not until we get to port and I take stock of what we do have in that time.”

He watched her disappear into the belly of the ship and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned on the mizzenmast. She is a tough one to figure, but somehow he felt it was worth the challenge.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

After Kat finished checking the supplies needed for the sail mending Kat went back into her room, looked out the window at the last of the sunrise. The bandanna fell from her head and onto the side of her small bed. She fell back on the bed and closed her eyes. Her breath just flowed in and out of her lungs in a smooth rhythm. Kat rolled to her side and tried to get comfortable to take a small nap before they reached port.

Before too long she heard someone tapping on her cabin door. She waved her hand around in the air, just as Jack would have done if he were in one of his drunken moods. She eventually opened her eyes halfway and looked at the door.

“Who is it?” she cried weakly at the person on the other side of the door.

“You all right, luv?” Jack called from the other side.

“Yes, I’m just fine. I just need more sleep,” she dragged herself from the bed and went to open the door for Jack.

“Would that be beauty sleep?”

“I wish,” she opened the door to see Jack standing in front of her . . . with something in his hands, “What is that?”

He stepped into the room and unfolded the material for her to see. Hanging from his hands was a beautiful burgundy dress. It had lacing of black running around the hemline and the neck. He handed the dress over to her and she looked at it with huge eyes.

“Captain . . .”

“I thought that you may want to go to shore as a lady and not a deck hand,” he gave her a smile showing his few gold teeth, “And since I stole it months ago, I have had no use for it.”

“You mean I can wear it to shore today?”

“Aye, why else would I bring it up here?” he walked out of the cabin and down the hall whistling.

Kat looked at the dress and pulled it up to her body. It seemed like it was her size, even though she couldn’t be sure with out seeing dresses for so long. She followed the laced neckline with her fingertips and bit her lower lip with the anticipation to wear it.

“Oh-” Jack popped his head back though the doorway making Kat jump, “We’re coming into port now, so I think you should put it on soon.”

“Thanks for the warning, Captain,” Kat said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. He smiled and went back out on the deck to tell the crew about their night off after supplies were gathered. Kat closed the door to her cabin and started to change into the lovely dress.

After a a half hour of waiting on deck Jack heard the door to Kat’s room open and turned to see her step out. Instead of the grungy looking young woman in dirty and baggy clothes, he saw something quite the opposite. The woman before him had her hair up in a small bun with a few pieces of white lace that made a great contrast to the dark colors of her dress and hair. He thought it was a vast improvement from the bandanna that she must have left in the room. Her face was washed or wiped clean of all the dirt and grime. The dress had fit her just as Jack had hoped; fitting all the right places, but still kept her modest and away from the low neck line that was popular to wenches.

Jack smiled and extended his arm for her to take, “M’ lady.”

“Well thank you, Captain,” Kat smiled back with a still shocked and questioning expression on her face, “I never knew you could be this kind to a lady.”

“There are a lot of things that could surprise you about me concerning ladies.”

“I am sure there are,” she teased as she took his arm.

Kat and Jack disembarked from the Black Pearl and walked down the dock. Kat stumbled a few times trying to re-teach herself to pull up her long dress when walking. Not to mention no longer feeling the waves beneath her feet. She blushed a few times when Jack kept her steady on her feet.

“Can’t find your land legs again?” he flashed another smart smile.

“I can find my legs just fine. It’s getting my stance back in my dress with these boots that’s the problem, Captain,” Kat lifted her skirt to show Jack her work boots under her skirt. Her other boots were too warn and she didn't know where half of the marks on them came from. Definitely not something she wanted to dwell on while on shore.

“Aye, always blame the boots,” Jack chuckled and held her hands together on his arm so she wouldn’t hit him.

“It _is_ the boots,” Kat complained holding tight again to his arm as she swayed from side to side.

Jack just kept laughing and watched patiently until Kat began to stable herself in the dress. After a few more moments she stabled and began to walk once again with her full dignity. She kept her head held high and her step small to keep Jack back by her side.

For the first time after she got out from the ship she began to shift her attention from her dress to the other men and people around her. Men watched her as she walked down the street ever increasing her grip on Jack’s arm. She looked up at him as he cleared his throat and saw his disapproving stare at the other pirates. He finally noticed her looking at him and gave a smirk.

“Don’t worry, luv. I’ll show you the night of your life.”

“The night of my life, huh? And what have I told you about calling me luv? My name is Kat.”

“No problem, luv,” he turned away and led her down a tight alley and into a small market street, “Now, where to get those supplies.”

Kat let him lead the way as she noticed that most of the crew were in the small market area. She saw Kusar toward the carpentry shop, she knew he was in need of a new hammer for some work on the mizzenmast. It looked like Mr. Henderson and Gibbs were counting barrels at a store front. She knew they were low on fresh water and a number of other necessities. A few of the others were getting the last of their supplies as well before they were going to head back out to town to enjoy their night.

“Here we are,” Jack pushed open a door and pulled Kat in with him. He looked at all the material around him and Kat smiled at the tools that surrounded them.

“Can I help you?” a younger looking lad at the counter spoke up. He had a broom stick in his hand as he was sweeping around his work space. His grip tightened on the broom handle as he stared at Jack, knowing exactly what he was.

“Yes, please,” Kat smiled at the young boy to ease his nerves and pulled out a piece of parchment that she wrote down their supply list on, “We are in need of some twine, a few needles and sail maker's palms. Do you have all that here?”

“We do,” he nodded and little more comfortable with Kat, “What kind of twine you looking for?”

Kat smiled as they left the shop. She had everything that they needed to make the repairs on the Pearl's sails. They made a quick jump back to the ship , dropped off the supplies and then headed back out to the town. This time it was much easier for Kat to make the transition, even though Jack kept her arm around his. Just in case.

Jack noticed a few more eyes on Kat and began to stare down at other men looking, whistling and cat calling toward Kat, “Come on, I know where a good tavern is.”

Jack began to pull her along the streets and through the alley ways to try and avoid the other pirates around them. Kat couldn’t help but notice the conditions of the port city. It was cleaner than what she remembered Tortuga being, but it still couldn’t measure up to the clean and spotless Port Royal. There were much less wenches on these streets. Kat was sure most of them were with clientele inside the many rows of inns and buildings. After another turn Jack and Kat reached the tavern at the end of the street.

As they walked inside nearly all the men were staring each other down and some were even to the point of rumbling with each other. The whole tavern was lit dimly with the low candle light at each table and the wood tables looked nearly as dark as the wood on the Black Pearl. Jack led Kat to a far table and sat her securely the farthest possible away from the other men in the tavern who were all too aware of her presence already.

Kat in a way was touched by his kindness and protectiveness of her, but then there was always the voice in the back of her mind that always reminds her of his occupation. Lately she surprised herself by doubting the voice completely. Sure Jack was a pirate, but then again with her actions of the past few months, so was she.

Both of their heads turned as a table flipped over in the middle of the room. Jack began to laugh lightly, shook his head and mumbled something about amateurs as he saw that both men that were fighting were passed out from the alcohol. Kat saw a middle aged woman kick through the rubble from the fight and made her way toward Jack and Kat’s table. The woman carried a tray of three rums above her head with one hand and held her skirt with the other. She wore a white and brown dress that many waitresses wear, cut low in an effort to catch some more business. She served the table beside Kat and Jack’s, giving out the three rums and then turned her attention to them.

“An’ wha’ will ya have?” she asked yelling over some of the tavern noise. She looked more closely at Jack and a smile grew on her face, “Aye Jack . . . is tha’ ye?”

“Hello Darla! How are you doing, luv?” he slumped back in his chair and looked up at the woman with a tip back of his hat.

“Jus’ fine,” she smiled and put her hands on her hips, “Ye ‘aven’t been found around here for a while, Jack. Where ye been? Tula has been askin’ for ye.”

“I have been busy,” he motioned his head toward Kat as if to tell Darla that Kat was what he was so busy with.

“A righ' pretty thing te be busy with,” Darla commented as she smiled and winked at Kat.

Kat only smiled with a light blush, “Thank you.”

Darla slightly surprised at any response nodded back at her.

Jack then waved his finger up at Darla, “And I remember telling Tula I ain’t interested.”

“I know ye did, but ye try tellin’ her tha’. She don’ give up easily, Jack. An' she don't take no fer an answer.”

“Well, she’ll have to,” Jack sighed and took off his hat.

“Not bloody likely,” Darla murmured then continued, “Get ye the usual then?”

“Aye, two please,” he gave her a smile and she struggled through the crowd toward what Kat believed to be a kitchen.

Without much guessing Kat was absolutely sure of what the usual was for Jack. He had been sober all day so far and must be having temptation for his rum.

“Who is Tula?” Kat questioned from her seat across from him, leaning forward so she was sure he could hear her, “She sounds... _colorful_.”

“You have no clue,” Jack rolled his eyes and grimaced at the thought of Tula.

“What's the matter, Captain? She is not the type that you usually require?” Kat teased with a bat of her lashes.

“Don't you get smart with me,” he pointed at her and then smirked a bit amused. He reached out and ran a couple of fingers down her cheek and tugged at a piece of her hair, “I am starting to think that my tastes have changed. Maybe I am looking for something a little more... _refined_.”

“Really?” Kat sat back a little flustered and tried to hide it by sitting straighter in her seat, “Why the change, may I ask?”

“You can ask, but I ain't telling,” Jack chuckled as he saw her blush cover the top of her cheeks. He laughed a little louder when she pouted at his answer and said that it wasn't fair. He loved to tease her and he did every chance he got. He finally stopped his laughing when he saw Darla coming with the rum and meat.

“’Ere ye go, Jack,” she set down the mugs in front of Jack and Kat and set the meat in the middle of the table.

Kat looked into her mug disapprovingly already aware of the contents. Jack began drinking- no, more like gulping- his own down. Darla gave Kat a smile and nodded her head with a wink. She immediately disappeared only to come back just as quick with some water for her to drink. Before Jack could finish his last gulp on his fist cup of the evening he felt a slender hand of his shoulder. His cheeks full of rum he didn’t dare turn to see the hand’s owner.

“Why hello Jack,” a shrill voice carried over Jack’s ears like a broken record and Kat noticed it.

Jack swallowed his rum as if he was taking his last mouthful. He turned slowly around, “’Ello Tula.”

After taking a look at Tula, Kat didn’t blame him. She wore way too much eye shadow and lipstick which covered a much too slender face. Her thin figure made her look like a small stick even with her dress. Her dirty blond hair was up in a messy style and to Kat . . . it looked like she didn’t care at all for her appearance. And Jack was right to say Kat had no idea how colorful the woman was. Her dress was the brightest color of red she had ever seen, along with her eye shadow she didn't know whether the woman meant to draw men in or warn them away.

“I was wondering when ye’d come back,” Tula purred at Jack and wrapped her hands around his arm.

“Small world, eh?” he laughed nervously as Tula tried to pull him from his seat. He looked at Kat for some kind of help. It was strange to see the captain of the Black Pearl worried and scared over a woman who could be blown over by the wind. Kat couldn’t help but take pity on him, took a deep sigh and decided that she would help the poor fool.

Kat got up from her seat and rounded the table where Tula had sat herself on Jack and tried to pry a kiss from him. Kat tapped Tula on the shoulder and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Pardon me,” Kat said in a light voice.

Tula turned around and almost spat in her face, “What do ye want, girl? Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“Well so was I,” Kat took Tula’s hands off of Jack finger by finger. She then pulled the woman off of him and took her place against his thigh, effectively coming between the two of them, “. . . until you decided to take away my business.”

“ _Your_ business?” Tula screeched at Ka t as she caught herself on a nearby table.

“Or should I say my Captain Sparrow?” she turned to Jack and draped her arms around his neck. She winked at him and shook her head to let the loose hair fly free, “Isn’t that right?”

Jack wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulled her back over his knee and leaned his forehead on hers getting the basic idea of the plan, “That’s right. I made a promise to Kat here. Giving her the night of her life.”

They both smiled at each other and Kat began to play with some of the trinkets in his dreadlocks as she looked over his face. Her eyes started at his bandanna and then trailed to his eyes, his nose and lips, lingering there a little longer than she had planned. He cleared his throat and brought Kat out of her focused acting. They both looked at Tula who was about to say something, but thought better of it and walked away. They looked back at each other and startled to laugh loudly.

“Thank you, Kat,” Jack said barely above a whisper trying to regain his breath.

“Don’t get used to it,” Kat got out of his lap still laughing and walked back to her side of the table. They both began to eat the meat and Kat let Jack have her rum as she saw that she wasn’t going to have any of it.

“You sure you don't want a little taste?” he asked and swished the mug in front of her face.

“I'm sure,” she said in a definite tone.

“How do you know you don't like it if you've never had it?” he asked with a squint of his eyes.

“Because I see what it does to men,” she said softly and looked down at her hands.

“You are not your father, Kat,” he reminded her.

“I know,” she nodded and touched her locket before she nodded back at the mug, “It's all yours, Captain.”

He took a moment to look at her, but then gladly accepted the offer and drank hers down right after his.

After a couple hours of eating, Kat leaned back in her chair and stared out the small window. The sun was setting and she could see more ships sailing in as well as more men coming in from the harbor. The women of the night were now out of their buildings and in the streets catching pirates as they walked by. One by one more men came into the tavern ready to brawl and stir up even more trouble. Every moment after the sun went down, the more the port looked like Tortuga.

“So Kat,” Jack began with a little slur in his speech, “Wha’s on your mind?”

Kat thought for a moment and did notice that there was still something on her mind from earlier. She bowed her head and turned away from Jack’s face.

“Kat?” Jack tried again.

“Was it really my fault?” Kat asked turning back to him holding her cup of water between her hands.

“Wha’?”

“Falling into the water during the storm. Was it my fault that I fell?” she looked back at him and into his eyes, “Should I have been more careful? Should I have just stayed in my cabin?”

Jack grabbed her hands and looked at her eyes. Even if he was completely drunk she couldn’t tell with all the concern he was showing, “Kat, it wasn’t your fault. You did well for your first storm at sea.”

“Does everyone have to be rescued by the captain on their first storm?”

“Not everyone, no,” he chuckled a bit and took another sip on his current rum, “You are a different story.”

“A different story, of course,” she repeated and looked into her cup of water with a sigh, “A special case.”

As she looked at her small reflection in her water, she saw another face appear over her shoulder. Suddenly two hands grabbed her up from the table and turned her around into the chest a large and new pirate, “Why so sad puppet? I’ll make ye happy.”

“Jack!” Kat let a scared syllable out of her mouth and toward Jack.

Before even another terrifying second could go by Jack was at the man’s side tapping him on the shoulder.

“Wha’ ye want Sparrow?” the other pirate snarled and held Kat as far from Jack as he could.

Jack simply sidestepped around the man, fluidly took Kat out of the man's arms and held her protectively in his, “I believe that lady and I have some business to attend to.”

“Oh,” the pirate looked at them both, “Wha’ would tha’ be?”

“What do you think?” Kat grabbed Jack’s arm and started toward the door, “Good night.”

Jack smiled and gave the others a look that seemed to laugh at them for not having their own lady. Before they got too far, Jack threw a shilling or two on the table and exited with Kat on his arm. As soon as they left the tavern and got outside Kat was about to let go of his arm, but he kept his hand over hers.

“Don’t let go just yet, luv.”

“I told you not to get too used to this, Captain.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Jack smirked, “Your admirers are following us.”

“Now what?” she looked up at him.

“Just follow my lead,” he turned them both into a building and waved to the woman at the front desk.

“’Ey Jack,” the woman greeted him and threw him a key.

“Thanks Ella,” he caught the key and gave her a small salute when climbing the stairs.

“Why do I have a feeling you have been here before?” Kat asked with a sarcastic tone.

“You could say many know of me,” he reached the end of the hall and opened the door.

He pushed Kat into the room and closed the door behind him. He put his head close to the door and tried to listen for the other pirates that were following them. Kat stood patiently at the bed and waited to see if she could hear anything as well. After a few more minutes by the door Jack came over and sat down on the huge bed in the center of the room.

“Ok . . .” Kat paced off a couple of steps then sat down next to Jack, “Are they outside our door or down the street picking up the next lady?”

“Outside the door,” Jack said from his position on the bed, “And hopefully it will stay that way.”

“Why?”

“Other wise they would be in here,” he looked up at her then over at the door where his eyes grew huge.

“Wha-?” before Kat could even finish her one syllable Jack grabbed her shoulders and pulled her over him. He grabbed the back of her head, his fingers instantly tangled in her hair and pressed his lips directly to hers.

From behind her she heard the other pirates burst though the door. Both of them still had their eyes open and Kat saw Jack wink at her to get her to follow along. She rolled her eyes, but then closed them. She leaned into the kiss and began to kiss back, her whole body relaxing over his. The other pirates must have understood and walked back outside as Kat heard the door close behind her.

She began to lean back from the kiss, but noticed that Jack’s arms were still around her. She opened her eyes and pulled her head back, disengaging her end of the kiss. Jack’s eyes were still closed and his lips still puckered.

“Excuse me, but I think they’re gone now,” Kat whispered to him.

“Right,” Jack popped his eyes open, but nothing else moved, “But what if they ain’t?”

“If they aren’t? . . . Captain, have I gotten to you?” Kat backed out from his grasp and sat back on the bed near the pillows. She watched him still laying back on the bed looking straight at her.

“Got to me?” Jack asked as he sat up and tossed off his hat and heavy dark, jacket to the top of the dresser, “What’s that suppose to mean?”

“You want to kiss me again,” Kat said in a smart tone and smiled wide, “If you call what you gave me a kiss.”

Jack jumped off the bed and walked right up to her, “You think you could do better?”

“Yes, I know I can do better,” Kat stood to her full height, still shorter than the captain. She gently placed her hands on his chest and leaned toward Jack. She pushed her face right in front of his, but before she reached his lips she stopped, “But I will not demonstrate on the likes of you, Jack Sparrow.”

“Aye, nice cover story, luv,” he spun some of her hair around his finger and watched her eyes shift from his face to his hand, “But the kiss I just gave you was just for show. I’m not going to waste a true kiss on you.”

“Who said I would be a waste?” Kat asked offended and he backed away to sit back on the bed.

“That would be me,” Jack said raising his hand and then took off his boots.

“I would show you one, two Jack Sparrow-”

“Ah, ah,” Jack raised his finger, “ _Captain_ Jack Sparrow.”

“Captain,” Kat bowed and went to the door to hear some scuffling out in the hallway. The men have not given up their pursuit then. She jiggled the lock on the door and made sure that it was completely locked before she walked to the side of the room where there was a partition. Behind it was a small tub with what looked like water. _Fresh_ water.

“Jack!” Kat squealed with delight.

“What?” he walked around the partition and looked at the small tub, “It's a tub.”

“With water! Not salt water, but _water_ ,” she pulled at his sleeve in her excitement and then picked up a small bar. She brought it to her nose and instantly smelled lavender, “And soap!”

He chuckled at her excitement, “Are you missing some luxuries of the land, Kat?”

“Some, I will admit,” she nodded and looked over her shoulder at him, “Do you think that the water is unused?”

“I don't see why it would be used. No one would be that picky to pour it back out of the tub like that.”

“Then I am taking a bath,” Kat nodded in her decision. She wasn't going to let the opportunity go to waste.

“That does sound like an idea,” Jack began to un-tuck his shirt.

“What do you think you're doing?” Kat hugged the soap to her chest.

“Bath?” he asked as if to remind her.

“No, no, no,” she pushed him to the other side of the screen and pulled it in front of his face, “ _I_ am going to take a bath, and if you are still so inclined to, you may then take one yourself.”

“In the dirty water you just used,” he mumbled.

“There is soap. More than what you would get out at sea,” she reminded him and watched the partition as she stripped out of her dress and undergarment, “Please, no peeking.”

“I may be a pirate, luv, but my eyes don't wander... too much,” he said with a smirk and went back to the bed to watch the door once more.

Kat stayed quiet for most of the bath and didn't mind that the water wasn't even heated. It was water that wasn't salted, she was happy. She washed all she could and stepped out to find nothing close to a towel. She only sighed and stepped back into her undergarment. She folded her dress as nicely as she could and held it to her front as she stepped out from behind the partition. She saw Jack on the bed, facing away from the partition and directly at the door. She quickly made it to the other side of the bed and crawled into the covers.

“I expect you're done then?” Jack asked and looked over his shoulder once she was under the covers.

“It's all yours,” she nodded and reached out her arm only to set her dress on the dresser over his jacket.

Jack nodded and took his shirt off even before he stepped behind the partition. In the low lamp light in the room Kat could barely see what she thought was tattoos and scars running along his back. He tossed the shirt over the top of the partition and disappeared behind it.

“Jack!” Kat called from the bed and he popped his front half back out to check it wasn't the men trying another run for the door. She combed her fingers through her damp hair, “Just so you know, there are no towels.”

“So noted,” he nodded and went back to bathe himself.

With Jack in the tub, whistling his song as he scrubbed, Kat stepped out from the covers and looked out the window. She saw that more ships had docked and the streets below have become more of a Tortuga by each passing moment. Gun shots rang out at random intervals and some made Kat jump with how close they were. Down below her window she saw that one of the men that had followed them was waiting at the front of the inn. It looked like he wasn't going to be leaving any time soon.

“Why are they so persistent?” she whispered to herself and tugged at her locket in worry.

“It's a matter of pride, I think,” Jack said from the edge of the partition. Kat jumped and whirled around, grabbing her dress to cover herself from his view. He had his breeches back on, his top half was still naked and wet from his bath with his shirt hanging around his shoulders. She assumed he was using it as a towel as he kept patting his skin with it. He pointed at her, “What's the matter with you? You're totally covered and believe me, I have seen a bit more of a woman.”

“The point is you haven't seen that bit of me,” Kat said and slid over to the bed to cover herself back up before she looked at him again.

Jack looked out the same window and seemed to be watching something closely. He sighed and scratched at the back of his head, “Seems like we're staying the night.”

“What?”

“They aren't budging,” he said and dried off the front of his chest, “Might as well get comfortable.”

“I have the bed then,” Kat said and began to slide down into it.

“You-” Jack snapped his head toward her, “It's more than big enough for the both of us.”

“I am an unwed and unblemished lady, sir,” she reminded him and kept the covers up to her chin, “As such, I will not allow a man into a bed with me.”

“So where am I sleeping, then?” he asked and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Here are pillows and the blanket will not be needed,” she pulled a pillow and the top blanket from the bed and threw the items at him, “Good night, Captain.”

Before he could respond, she blew out the lamp next to her and laid on her side, facing away from Jack.

Jack stood for a moment with the bedding in his hands and not one idea on what to do with it. He took a deep breath and then shook his head as he laid the blanket out and pulled the pillow under his head. Say what you will about him, but he will always try to be a gentleman.

***

Kat opened her eyes slowly as she recognized the sun's rays on her face. She stretched, but noticed something hindering her movements. She looked around her waist and found an arm draped over her. She turned her head to look over her shoulder and found a sleeping Jack Sparrow behind her. A red blush took over her face. She took a deep breath and screamed as loud as she could. Jack shot up and flailed in the covers in surprise. She quickly kicked him off the bed and heard him hit the hard floor.

A moment later Jack didn't move from his place on the floor. Kat took a few breaths and took a look over the side of the bed. Jack was on the floor with his eyes focused on the ceiling.

“Captain?” Kat asked in a small voice.

“That is the first time I have ever been kicked out a bed,” he said and looked directly at her.

“May I remind you that you weren't invited into the bed to begin with?” she smiled down at him with raised eyebrows.

“What can I say? I got lonely,” he gave her a wink.

“Uh huh,” she reached over him and pulled her dress on the bed. She quickly ran behind the partition and put her dress back on. When she came back out he was already dressed.

“Let's get back to the Pearl. She had to have missed me,” Jack took a look at her and then held out his arm for her.

She stared at it for a few seconds and then let out a breath before she took his arm. He smiled in knowing that it was as close as he was going to get to a 'I forgive you'.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

“ _This is much harder than any needlepoint you've done, my dear heart,” Cecilia reminded her now six and a half year old daughter._

_The little girl struggled with the large needle and the much too large sail palm in her other hand. She pouted and looked at the horrid stitching she had done on the tough material. She huffed and dropped the material to her lap, “Why do I have to learn this?!”_

“ _Because you are to be a well rounded lady and should you marry a sailor or a sea fairing merchant, he may need help with his sails,” Cecilia explained calmly to her daughter and reached over to look at the work so far, “You are doing so well for your first time. The patch has a wonderful overlay and would catch the wind well.”_

“ _But it looks so ugly!” the young girl wailed._

“ _Not everything is going to be pretty and perfect, Katerina,” her mother put her own work to the side for the moment and sat next to her daughter under the thicker material. She ran her hand over the stitching and checked for any holes, “You know, this sail is very much like your life. There will be times when the wind will catch and you can't be stopped. There will be storms where you feel tied down and you may sink with the rest of the ship. There will be times when mending must be done. For the most part, it may not be all that pretty. The main thing is that it will catch wind again and take you further than you could ever imagine.”_

_Little Katerina thought for a moment and looked at her mother's slender, delicate fingers dance over the material. She took a deep breath and then nodded as she took up the needle again, “I can handle a little mending.”_

“ _I wouldn't doubt it,” Cecilia smiled and pointed to the next section._

Kat ran her hand over the overlap stitching that she was finishing on the last of the torn sails. Her other hand went to her locket which still sat under her shirt and she smiled as she remembered the many days that she would sit with her mother and learn not only needlepoint, but sail mending. She had grown a little rusty since she wasn't as able to get the right materials to practice with her father knowing. Thankfully she did it enough in her youth that she remembered much of what her mother showed her.

Luckily she was able to move fast through the worst of the damage and with the new supplies she was sure that they would hold. She was now down to her last repair and held the sail cloth over her lap as she mended the sail with a patch. All she had to do was cut out the extra material from around the tear and the mend would be complete.

“We will have you catching wind in no time at all,” she spoke to the sail and patted the material as she finished the last piece. She made sure that it was connected properly and called over Duncan to double check.

“This be the last one, then?” Duncan asked and pulled on the rigging to place the sail back.

“That's the last one unless you find me more work,” she nodded and watched the sail catch the slight wind that ran along the ship.

“I ain't seen nothin' new,” he shrugged and then nodded toward the galley, “Tearloch just finished cookin' if ye be hungry.”

“I'm famished,” she patted her stomach and then headed toward the galley.

At one of the close tables Kat noticed Gibbs surrounded by a few members of the crew. Anamaria stood behind him as she leaned on the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. Kat took a plate from Tearloch who saw her enter and then went over to join the group.

Gibbs was just beginning his tale as she sat next to Mr. Cotton.

“And there he was marooned by his own crew,” Gibbs waved his hand as if showing the island, “After giving up the bearings he was left to die on that island with not but a pistol with one shot. He was not one to give up though- not our captain! No, on the third day he waded out into the water and waited for nights on end until he caught-”

“Two sea turtles,” Anamaria answered with a smirk, “Which he rode back to civilization. We know the tale, Gibbs. It's been told time and again. It's becomin' old.”

“Anamaria! Ye just ruined the best part!” Hendry complained and waved his hand toward Gibbs who seemed a little disappointed that he was interrupted.

“No one would believe that the Cap'n even has tha' coordination te stay on the back of two turtles,” Anamaria pushed herself from the wall and walked out of the galley without another word.

The other men began to also walk away from Gibbs since the story was now ruined. Kat and Cotton were the only ones still sitting in front of Gibbs after the fall out. Mr. Gibbs looked at the two of them and cocked his head confused.

“What's the matter?”

“Shiver me timbers!” Mr. Cotton's parrot cut in.

“I did not neglect anything, Cotton,” Gibbs pointed his finger at the parrot who bit at the finger in retaliation, “I just never got to finish my story.”

“Well, I was wondering...” Kat looked at her crackle fruit and pushed it around on her plate, “... did he have to use bait to lure the turtles in? How deep did he have to wade out for them to be comfortable to approach? … what did he use for rope?”

“Some of the details are a bit muddy,” Gibbs explained.

“Abandon ship!” Cotton's parrot spoke up again.

Kat laughed lightly and kissed Cotton on the cheek, “Thank you, Mr. Cotton. I am glad I wasn't the only one.”

The parrot on his shoulder squawked and hopped to the shoulder closest to Kat. She laughed a little louder and combed her fingers through the parrot's feathers and nuzzled to top of his head with her nose, “Now, I wouldn't forget the voice of it all, could I?”

The parrot seemed to purr and fluff under her delicate touch.

“It is just a story, Missy,” Gibbs offered her.

“Oh, I know,” Kat nodded, “And I don't care what Anamaria says. I love your stories and they are never old.”

“Thank ye, lass,” Gibbs smiled back at her.

Suddenly Ladbroc ran into the galley and scanned the room to grab everyone's attention. He was out of breath and his eyes wild.

“What's yer hurry, man?” Gibbs asked.

“It's... it's the Harbinger. She be off the port side! Cap'n says everyone be ready te load the cannons!”

Kat looked to Gibbs and they both ran out toward the deck to see the approaching ship. Kat racked her brain trying to remember if there were any ships under the name Harbinger in the Royal Navy. After a few seconds she had given up trying to find the Harbinger in her memory bank and concentrated fully on finding Jack.

She found him at the helm as usual, staring over his shoulder at the ship now behind them. She climbed up to the helm, and looked at the slightly smaller ship behind them with a large Jolly Roger already flying. Wind full in its sails, the Harbinger was gaining on them, and it would only be a matter of time before they would overcome them.

“I thought they were just off port side,” Kat said standing next to the captain at the wheel, “How did we get ahead of it?”

“The Pearl ain’t called the fastest ship in the Caribbean for nothing,” Jack turned back to the wheel and tried some maneuvers to try outrun the Harbinger, “But the Harbinger is a very hard ship to outrun, no matter how fast the ship be.”

He looked at her and his eyes were glued instantly to her hair, “Kat get your hair under your bandanna right now.”

“Why?” she stuffed her hair underneath the bandanna, not in the mood to argue with the captain at the moment.

“You ever see what ungentlemanly pirates do with women such as yourself?” he turned the ship fast narrowly escaping some shallow waters to their starboard side.

Kat tied the rest of her hair back, “How’s this captain?” trying to model her hair under the bandanna.

He looked at her and then turned away, “It’ll hide your hair, but I don’t know what to do about your face.”

“What’s wrong with my face?” she put her hands on her hips and scowled.

“It’s too beautiful to be a man’s, darlin’,” she blushed at his comment and looked toward the other ship. The Harbinger was now right beside the Pearl and Kat knew that they would not be able to outrun them. They were not going to escape.

The pirates on the other ship yelled and cursed at the crew of the Pearl. They were close enough to shoot off the cannons and make good-sized holes in the ship. The Pearl’s crew set their hands on their blades and pistols, just in the case that the captain declares war on the next ship over.

“What now?” Kat asked.

“Wait for the captain to board,” Jack said calmly and called down to the crew, “Drop anchor, men!”

“Drop anchor!” Gibbs repeated and the port side anchor dropped into the water.

Jack walked down toward the boarding plank being lowered on his ship with his hands clasped behind his back.

Kat followed close behind, “What do you mean that he is going to _board_?”

“I mean _board_ as in coming on board the Pearl,” Jack stopped before the plank and kept his hands behind his back. Kat stepped next to him and did the same, “And you may want to disguise your voice, too.”

“Aye captain,” Kat said trying a deeper voice.

“Better yet, don’t talk at all and stay behind me,” Jack stayed serious and still looked patiently up at the board.

Men big and small began pilling on the ship all brandishing swords and pistols. One or two men from the other ship restrained each crew member of the Pearl. Kat was held by a smaller looking man with a mighty strong grip. He held her head up so that she would show this other captain some respect. The frame of the man seemed off, but so did most of the crew from this other ship. Another pirate tried to put a hand on Jack’s shoulder, but he just slapped it off and stood in wait for the other captain.

After waiting a couple of minutes another man began to walk across the boarding plank. He was an older man with graying hair underneath his huge, black captain’s hat. His medium sized beard was also sprinkled with the gray and white received with age. His nearly black eyes could barely be seen from the shading of his hat. His dark clothes seemed even heavier looking than Jack’s overcoat and probably made to hide his obvious weight problem.

The other captain stepped onto the deck and looked straight into Jack’s eyes, “So Sparrow . . . I was wonderin’ where ye went to,” the captain smiled showing gruesome teeth.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business, Catterine,” Jack snarled at the man standing over him by only a few inches.

“It’s always me business when ye sail in me waters!” the other captain roared and stepped forward.

“Funny, I always thought these be free waters,” Jack said looking over the water horizon.

“I’m warnin’ ye, Jack,” the pirate captain held a dagger like sword up to Jack’s neck in one swift motion.

Kat made a gasp and tried to lean forward only succeeding in her captive’s grip pulling off her bandanna. The pirate holding her- plus a few more around her- gasped and watched her black hair fall a little past her shoulders. The two captains hadn’t noticed as of yet and Kat wanted to keep it that way. Although the pirate that held her before had other plans. He grabbed her up from the ground and pushed her toward the two captains.

“Cap’n!” one of the other pirate’s shouted and helped the skinnier man push Kat foward, “Look at wha’ we got 'ere.”

Captain Catterine turned his eyes toward Kat and settled upon her hair. He smiled and quickly turned back to Jack, “So wha’s this then?”

He pushed back Jack and grabbed Kat by the hair. Kat yelped and tried to claw at the man's hands to let go. Jack touched his side for his sword, but stopped when Catterine put the dagger like sword up to Kat's throat.

“Ye know who this be Sparrow?” the pirate smelled her hair, “Ye ‘ave aboard yer ship the very expensive and may I say beautiful, young Ms. Katerina Benikins.”

Kat closed her eyes once hearing her full name and then opened them slowly. She saw Jack’s face and nodded, “It is true . . . I am Katerina Benikins.”

“Ye ‘ave a great reward out fer ye,” Catterine said leaning next to her, “An’ I set on claimin’ it.”

“My father would never set a reward for my safe return,” Kat struggled with the captain’s grasp, “He would rather see me dead!”

Captain Catterine laughed and looked at Jack, “Ye know Jack, I jus’ though’ o’ somethin’.”

“What that be?” Jack asked watching Kat more closely than the other captain.

“I make a deal with ye,” he took his grip away from her hair and grabbed her arms. He leaned over one of her shoulders and smiled at Jack, “Ye give up Miss Benikins 'ere an’ I don’ take any o’ yer booty, kill yer crew or blow this ship out o’ the water.”

This time Jack did pull his sword out of his belt and began to step forward, “No deal, Catterine. She stays on board.”

Kat watched as some pirates began to walk up behind Jack, both with pistols and swords. She pulled out of Catterine’s grasp and jumped into Jack’s path. She glared at the other captain and the other pirates.

“Stop,” she said as calmly as she could, “Since this is about me and where I should be going, I would think that I should have some say in this.”

“Kat-” Jack started to speak.

“I will go with Captain Catterine,” Kat started and then turned to Catterine, “but under some conditions.”

Catterine looked impressed and intrigued by the young lady, “State ‘em, Miss.”

“If I am to go with you _right now_ , aboard the Harbinger without a fight, then you and your crew must give your word that not a single or multiple cause of damage or injury shall come to the Black Pearl, her crew or her captain for at least a year. No matter what the circumstances. I understand I couldn't ask for a truce forever, but I would think that my reward should buy at least a year. Do we have an accord, Captain Catterine?”

The other captain smiled as he thought about the reward. It would be more than enough to keep him happy and willing to leave Jack alone for twelve months. He nodded and bowed with a florish, “Agreed.”

“Kat, what are you doing?” Jack grabbed her arm, “You know what they’ll do to you?”

“I know what they will do to you, the crew and the Pearl if I do not go with them,” Kat looked straight into his eyes, “I have to go _now,_ Captain.”

His face crumbled and with great difficulty he finally nodded his head, “Take care of yourself.”

“I have to now,” Kat whispered, “You won’t be there to rescue me anymore.”

“Miss Benikins!” Captain Catterine started to get impatient, “We are boarding!”

“Please captain, may I have at least a few moments?” Kat asked.

“Make ‘em short.”

“I guess this is good-bye, Captain Sparrow,” she held out her hand for a handshake, as she thought it protocol.

Jack didn’t say anything to her, but he stepped closer and enveloped her in his arms. Her eyes opened with the shock of the hug, her face pressed up against his jacket. She looked up at Jack and already knew that tears were not far off. He couldn’t bring himself to even give a reassuring, small smile when he looked at her. Instead, he took her face in his hands and gave her a passionate kiss. Kat grabbed his wrists with her own hands and squeezed as if that would keep her there.

The kiss ended too soon for both of them, but Jack was the first to speak, “I wanted you to know what a true kiss felt like coming from Jack Sparrow.”

“I thought that that would be wasting it,” she tried to stay smart.

He shook his head with a slight huff of a laugh.

“As soon as I see you again- and I _will_ see you again- be prepared for me to prove that I can kiss just as well, or possibly even better,” she smiled and then looked away again. She put some of her hair behind her ear and walked away from Jack and toward the Harbinger. Away from his warmth and his touch.

As the Harbinger began to sail away from the Pearl, Kat stood right by the railing held in place by the Harbinger's large Master of Arms. She looked upon the deck of the ship she loved. She found Mr. Gibbs at the helm looking out to sea instead of at the Harbinger, Mr. Cotton was petting his parrot on its back as if to reassure the bird and himself, Anamaria surprisingly was looking quite confused on how to feel and Jack . . . Jack could not be found out on the deck. He wasn’t at the helm, or barking orders . . . he wasn’t seen anywhere. Kat searched the whole length of the ship with her eyes until she noticed the huge doors leading to the captain’s cabin were open.

Kat squeezed her eyes tight letting the streams flow down her face. She was not going to heal from these tears in her sails anytime soon. The separation itself was a great hurt that would be with her until the day that she would be reunited with the crew and captain- only then would she be able to mend. Even if she needed to go with the Harbinger and its captain she would never wanted them to see her cry. She was a proud crew member of the Pearl and she would act as such. She wiped her cheeks on her shoulders since her arms were held. The Master of Arms soon led her down to the bottom hold of the ship with her head held high and her face free of tears.


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I owe a huge apology to the readers here on AO3. I ha been updating this fiction more on ff.net and forgot tot he same here. No matter, that means a double update for you all. Here is one, the next to follow directly. Happy reading.

**Chapter 9:**

Kat studied the brig as thoroughly as possible. Being that she had been locked up three days ago and not spoken to since, she has had plenty of time to do so. There was a hole near the floorboards where water sloshed in and out, making sure that any captives never had a dry sole. The bars were rusted from the water, but were none the less sturdy. The cold air enveloped her in such a way that no matter what, she couldn't stay warm for very long. She was really regretting the decision of tearing off her sleeves when she did or thought that she should have worn another shirt.

Kat rubbed the side of her arms with her hands, hopeful to get enough friction to partially thaw her frozen limbs. Her hands were almost numb and she had given up on getting feeling back into her feet. There was no way she was going to be able to stand the conditions for much longer. She pushed her lips together with thought about how to get out of this, and then her mind slipped to other things. She thought back to the time on the Pearl right before she was forced to leave. She touched her lips and gave a little smile to herself.

“Jack,” she whispered silently to herself. Was he going to notice the flaw in the accord she made with Catterine? Or was he going to leave her for dead, as she thought he would when she first met him? He was a pirate after all, and he had to follow the code, and it does state that who ever falls behind, stays left behind. No help was to come.

Kat shook her head in disbelief, ‘No, Jack isn't that kind of man.'

Kat grabbed a hold of her locket, closed her eyes and tried to calm herself, '...he isn't that kind of man.'

***

Jack paced back and forth in his cabin cursing himself for not fighting- for not doing _something_ when Kat really needed him. He was supposed to look out for her no matter the cost, and he let her down. She was on another pirate ship, surrounded by strange pirates, and to top it all off the ship is led by _Catterine_! There was no end to the possibilities of what they could be doing to her before they return her to Port Royal.

No plan, no rescue, nothing! Nothing has formed from the past three days that he had enclosed himself in his cabin.

He walked up to his desk, slid his hands over the top and sent the paper and maps flying into the air only to fall to the floor. He held his head in his hands and looked down at the falling parchment and documents. In all his years that he had been a pirate he has done many accords and has always found a loophole of some sort. There was always a certain soft spot in agreements that he could always exploit or work with. But this time there was nothing he could do.

When casting down his eyes to the floor he saw a small piece of color among the white papers on the floor. He pushed the documents out of the way with his boot and uncovered the bandanna that Kat had worn before boarding the Harbinger. He bent down, picked up the piece of cloth and held it tight in his grasp.

There had to be a reason that she had agreed to go with Catterine aboard the Harbinger. She was way too stubborn and clever to just give up and go with another crew without a fight or plan behind it. Jack began to pace the length of the cabin yet again, trying to find the fatal hole, trying to find the answer. He groaned with frustration, he has gone over the agreement time and time again and could not find one thing that could be proven wrong, or undone.

He held the loose bandanna next to his temple and closed his eyes. He could still smell her hair and the faint sent of the soap that she had used while at port. It was so faint, but it was still there. Her voice kept coming back to him, visions of her smile and her frustrated expression she made when faced with a decision she never liked- the way her determination always shined through all her other admirable attributes. Everything filled his mind as he searched for something to use. If only she let him figure something out. He would have found a way to save her.

“But she made the accord . . .”

As Jack made his third lap around his room, he heard Gibbs tell another story of their time with William Turner and his true love. For some odd reason he stuck close to the door to heard the story again.

“...An' she's about to walk the plank in nothin' but her underthings. Will tries to burst from his captive's hold to get to his lady fair. He accused Barbossa of lyin', telling him she should go free, righ'? Well, Barbossa- he says he kept his word. It was Will who failed to mention when or where she was to be set free. So off-”

Jack suddenly burst from his cabin, wide eyed and frazzled. He looked down at Gibbs and gripped at his door, “What was that last part, mate?”

“Which one, Cap'n?” Gibbs asked and thought over the last piece of his own story, “...Will failed to mention when or where-”

“Yes! That!” Jack pointed to him, thought for a second longer and then turned back into his room for his hat. He placed it firmly on his head and then grinned, “Good thinking.”

“What's the matter, Cap'n?” Gibbs asked when Jack rushed back out of his cabin and up toward the helm.

“The accord, Gibbs,” Jack said as he approached Anamaria at the helm, “It's all about the details when making accords. The fine details... and the timing.”

Jack pulled out his compass, made sure of the heading and saw that they were actually on course. They were _perfectly_ on course. He narrowed his eyes and closed the compass as he looked slowly toward Anamaria.

“Cap’n?” Anamaria asked with a knowing grin and nodded toward the wheel, “Are ye ready to take her back then?”

“Aye...” Jack said cautious, yet eager to take the wheel from Anamaria, “I’m on a rescue mission you could say.”

“We’re goin’ after Kat then?” Anamaria crossed her arms and shared a look with Gibbs over Jack's shoulder.

Jack looked between the two of them as if they were planning a mutiny against him. He settled back on Anamaria, “...Aye.”

“Ye know tha’ll be dangerous, Cap’n,” Gibbs added in and made Jack turn his head back to him.

“Aye, but when’s it not?” he cleared his throat and turned his head forward toward the horizon.

“I’ll alert the crew then,” Gibbs turned and walked back down to the lower main deck.

“Anamaria,” Jack called still looking toward the horizon, “You kept on this heading... why?”

“If ye don' know the answer to tha' she deserves better,” she rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, “I knew tha' ye'd want te get 'er after ye figured out how. Couldn't let 'em get away from us too far.”

“You _want_ her back?” he chuckled and shook his head, “I don't know if I believe that.”

She shrugged and leaned back against the railing, “I guess ye can say tha’ the little princess ’as grown on me too. I though’ tha’ I would be happy to see her go, but now tha’ she’s gone . . . nothin’s the same.”

They shared a moment of silence before she nodded and began back down to the main deck to rally the crew for the rescue mission with Gibbs. Jack smiled and tied the blue bandanna around his right hand.

***

Kat couldn’t help but shiver, the cold was never going to seize and the water never receded. How is it that one pirate is so different from the rest? Jack was at least decent enough to give her her own cabin to sleep in, where it was dry. And clothes . . . and . . . well a place where she was actually wanted.

In the few mornings that she was on the Harbinger so far she always tried to watch the rise of the sun like she had on the Pearl, but she would never see it. The ship was heading north, more than likely heading for Port Royal, and Kat could never see the sun rise from the waters because she was placed on the other side of the ship. From the sound of it, most- if not all- of the Harbinger’s crew were all asleep when the sun made its entrance into the sky. Leave it up to uncivilized pirates to miss out on the most beautiful daily events shown on this earth.

“Bloody pirates,” Kat muttered curling herself into a little ball on the wooden bench above the floor. Her chin placed firmly on her knees and her eyes closed.

“I wouldn’ be sayin’ tha’ ‘bout pirates upon one of their ships, m’ lady,” Kat jumped at the sound of the voice as Captain Catterine came down from the deck and stood in front of the cell, “It ain’t proper.”

“Or so you say, Captain,” Kat said unraveling herself from the ball, “Although it isn’t very proper to take another ship’s captive, captive for your own profit, stuff them in a cold, wet cell and then leave them to starve for four days.”

“I didn’ let ye starve. Ye had water an’ bread. An’ besides, I _be_ a pirate, Miss Benikins.”

“Please, don’t call me that,” Kat said rather harshly and glared at him.

“Wha’ ye don’ like bein’ called Miss?”

“The Miss is fine, Captain. It is my last name that I do not agree with,” she looked down at her hands which her clenched closed. She wasn’t so sure if it was from the cold or from the hate that radiated from the mention of her father’s name.

“An argument with yer papa I bet,” he urged her to continue on.

“I don’t believe that is any of your business,” she stood up and walked toward the wall away from Catterine.

“As long as ye be on me ship it is,” he said back and nodded his head at one of the crew who unlocked the barred door and grabbed Kat out. He tightened his grip on her arm and then walked her to the Captain. Catterine smiled at her, “I wanted to have a small word with ye.”

“Aren't we having a conversation now?”

“I was thinking of somewhere a little more comfortable.”

He smiled again and the pirate who held her pushed her toward the stairs and led her back to the deck. The mid morning sun nearly blinded Kat as she was pushed back into a cabin she assumed was Catterine's. The pirate finally released her and she stumbled to find her balance. The Captain followed her in with one crew member behind him before the doors closed. Kat watched as Catterine slowly made his way behind a table and sat in an overly ornate chair.

“Let's not put on an act for one another, Captain,” Kat said as soon as she saw that he was settled, “We are both intelligent human beings, let us talk to each other as such. Shall we?”

“So be it, lass,” he nodded. The crew member who followed the captain in stood to the side of Catterine's chair. Kat recognized them as the one who held her on the Pearl.

“What is it that you wanted to discuss?” she asked and folded her hands in front of her as she had done dozen times before at functions for her father.

“Ye ain't going to take a seat?” he motioned to the chair to her side.

“No, thank you,” she shook her head and watched the crew member carefully. She had no idea what their purpose was, and it was unnerving her, “I'd much rather stand.”

“If ye like,” he waved his hand at her and then bit a cork out of a bottle and poured from wine, “Would you like some?”

“I thought we agreed to no games, Captain,” Kat sighed and shuffled her feet, “I'm getting rather tired of this one.”

“Aye, lass,” he put the wine down, “No more games. Jus' tryin' to figure ye is all.”

“Figure me?” she questioned and put a hand to her chest, careful not to show any of her mother's locket, “I thought that I was a fairly straight forward read.”

Catterine narrowed his eyes and leaned toward her to get a better look. He then turned his head to whisper at the small pirate behind him. They nodded their head and walked straight to Kat. They pulled at her shirt before she could react and her locket fell into view. Catterine's eyes seemed to glow with knowledge as he looked at the trinket.

“Hiding thin's, are we?”

Kat took a step away from the pirate and grasped the locket protectively in her hand, “It was my mother's locket. She gave it to me before-... before she died.”

“What's the 'C' stand fer?” Catterine asked as the other pirate took their place behind him once more.

“My mother's name was Cecilia.”

“Purty name,” he mentioned and took a long breath to think while his eyes lingered on her closed fist.

Kat felt her temper begin to rise, “I thought that-”

“Wha' is a lady like ye, doin' on a pirate ship as part o' her crew?” he asked suddenly and looked at her attire which was nothing like what she would have been wearing at Port Royal.

Kat looked down and then back up with a deep breath, “Captain Sparrow saved my life in Tortuga. I am working on his ship to pay that debt back.”

“Did he know who ye really are?” Catterine gave her another look over, this one being more than professional, “How much yer worth?”

“Truth be told, Captain, _I_ don't know how much I am worth,” she leaned forward just slightly, “I am a bit curious... how much did my father offer for my safe return?”

“Let's jus' say that me crew an' I will live like rich men for a time after we turn ye in,” Catterine laughed a bit as he kept the information from her, “Yer on me ship, Miss Benikins. Ye go by me rules.”

“Well that won’t be for much longer,” Kat piped up and stood straight, “Captain Jack Sparrow will come for me.”

Catterine began to laugh at her in a booming, rich tone, “Tha’s rich girl! Ye really think tha Jack – a pirate, mind ye- is goin’ to come an’ save ye?”

“I know he will,” Kat stood resolute in her statement. The other crew member seemed a bit unnerved by her clear statement.

“Ye trust a pirate te come an save ye?”

“I do.”

“With wha’ confidence do ye have that I won’ kill ye?” he looked at her with a sinister glint in his eyes.

“Because I know that you need me to get the reward money. Safe return, remember?”

“Wha’ if I send a piece of ye at a time?” he brought out his small dagger and stabbed it into the wood of his table. Kat was unmoved by his threat. Her mind skipped back in time when she was having a similar conversation with Jack about the same reward money.

“I’ll tell ye somethin’ girl. Pirates want one of two thin’s in life: money and pleasure. So think of it this way. Jack is protecting ye either for the reward or for somethin’ tha’ ye may be able to provide for him later.”

“Jack is not like you. He would never break his word, nor expect something like that from me. He knows that he will receive no money. He takes care of me because . . . because . . .”

“Because he knows eventually, ye will give in. But face it, he won’ be comin’ for ye if yer goin’ to be this hard to get back.”

“That isn’t true!” Kat yelled at him, “He isn’t like you! He _will_ come!”

“Are ye so sure?”

She looked away from Catterine as her brow furrowed with confusion. Lost in thought and memories, she couldn’t see Jack in any other way.

“Cap’n!” one of the younger crew members ran into the room and Catterine turned to address him, “The Black Pearl be righ’ behind us!”

Kat's breath caught in her throat and tears stung at her eyes in happiness. He was coming.

“I told you Captain,” Kat said in a mocking tone.

“Load the cannons an’ prepare for a figh’!”

“No, no Captain,” Catterine turned to see Kat shaking her head and finger in a disapproving fashion, “Remember our accord . . . under any and all circumstances for a year.”

“Cap’n?” the young, confused boy asked looking at his equally confused Captain.

“Keep the cannons free. We’ll be seein’ wha’ Cap’n Sparrow be wantin’,” he stood up from his chair and grabbed Kat as he walked out the door, “An’ ye be comin’ with us.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Captain,” they both walked to the top deck where Kat got to feel the sun dance across her cold skin once again.

As they made their way across the deck to the nearest point by the Black Pearl Kat could see the bewilderment on the Harbinger’s crew’s faces on why they weren’t firing on the Black Pearl. Kat smiled and giggled to herself as she saw a dark figure at the wheel of the ship. She knew it could only be one person, and all her doubts vanished and her hopes renewed.

“Jack,” she whispered as the two ships came side to side with each other.

“So, ne’re really though’ I’d be seein’ ye again in these waters, Jack,” Catterine gripped Kat’s shoulder harder making her squint, “Not since our little agreement.”

“Aye, but a bit of bad news for you, Catterine. I’ll be needing the girl back,” Jack gave the order to drop anchor and went down the stairs to the side of the ship.

“I doub’ tha’ Jack,” he pulled a pistol from his cloak.

“Our agreement, Captain!” Kat reminded him, stepping in front of the pistol.

“Oh, tha’ be righ’,” he pushed the pistol back in his cloak, sounding a little disappointed that it was not going into use that day. At least not at the moment, “Ye be on this ship, I will not fire.”

“Not exactly, Catterine,” Kat stepped out of his reach and toward the railing of the ship, “I said that if I went with you at that moment you would not fire on the Pearl or her crew.”

“An . . . wha’s yer point missy, I don’ wan’ to stand ‘ere all day?”

“I have fulfilled my part of the agreement. It was you who failed to state for how long or even if I was to stay on the Harbinger.”

Catterine’s eyes flew to the deck in thought, “But ye . . .”

“I’m free to go and if you are true to your word, Catterine, you will not harm anyone on the ship or the ship itself.”

“This ain’t fair!”

“Who ever said trades have to be fair?” Kat stood on the railing ready to jump to the Pearl.

“But ye ain’t a part o’ the crew, nor on the Pearl are ye?” he pulled his pistol back out and aimed it at her, “So I’m free to shoot ye.”

Jack frantically turned his head toward Kat, “Kat! Jump now!”

Kat did as she was told and dove into the water, the sudden cold shock stunned her for a moment. She heard a single shot taken after her and heard the bullet hit and stream through the water after her. After a few moments with no other shots she began to swim back up toward the surface. She poked her head above the water’s surface and looked up at the situation. Jack had taken his own pistol out and was aiming it toward Catterine.

“Catterine, you make one more move, and I swear that it will be the last one you ever take,” Jack growled at him.

“Come now, Jack. This missy tha’ important to ye?” Catterine finished loading his next shot and started to move the pistol at Kat’s position in the water.

Before the point of the gun even reached her, Jack fired at Catterine and hit him square in the chest, “Yes, she be.”

Kat looked up at shook as Catterine fell to his knees and then to the deck of the ship. She stayed almost motionless in the water as she couldn’t believe the sight that unraveled before her. She knew that Jack had killed before, and that he would probably kill again, but for her to actually see the act . . . she had never thought that she would ever see him harm another individual.

She heard a whistle from up above as a ladder was lowered down to her. She grabbed the rope ladder and started to climb a little clumsily up the netting. As she pulled herself toward the railing of the deck, Duncan pulled her on board the rest of the way. Kat looked back toward the deck of the other ship expecting them to load the cannons and prepare for boarding, but none of the other crew made the move. The only single pirate that she saw that had was the one that was always around Catterine. The lone crew member was over Catterine's body in a vain attempt to wake him up or revive him. After what seemed like a few moments passed the crew member looked up and stared at the Pearl and at Jack from under their large hat.

“Isn’t the Harbinger going to fire on us?” Kat asked while she tried to get up.

“They can’t, they are under the oath o’ their captain,” Duncan smiled and helped her up. She leaned against the railing as the Harbinger’s crew looked on with disdain. The Pearl lifted her anchor and began to sail toward the South, gaining as much sea and ocean between the Harbinger and themselves as possible. Kat watched as the Harbinger very slowly began to fade away into the horizon.

Jack came over to her, “Good thinking, Kat. Good negotiation skills.”

“Thank you, captain,” Kat could feel herself blush and she wanted to turn away, but didn’t.

“Why can’t you ever keep your clothes dry?” he put his hands on his hips and shook his head, “Come on, we’ll get you some dry clothes.”

“I always thought the code said to leave behind any who fall behind,” Kat pointed out to the Captain, still trying to make sense for the rescue.

“Well, the code is the code,” Jack weighed his hands in front of him like a scale, “But according to Gibbs, they're more like guidelines anyway.”


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

Kat leaned out on the railing just before sunrise, eager to see the sun break through the waves. Her time on the Harbinger made her crave the smaller things that she had enjoyed and then were robbed of. She brushed her hair back as best she could seeing as she no longer had her bandanna. The wind was high that morning and part of her was ready to chop her hair off in frustration. She grabbed the ends of her hair and twisted it until it laid somewhat tamed over her shoulder.

Every since she came back on the Pearl, Kat had changed her mind over many things. Pirates came after her... to save her. It was strange for a ragged crew such as this would actually come for her, but when she really thought about it, Kat could not even entertain any other outcome. Then there was the captain . . . Jack. What about him?

Kat pulled at the end of her hair in thought. She didn't know what to make of Captain Jack Sparrow. He's a pirate. A scoundrel, a thief... a decent man. At the very least he seems to be _acting_ like a greedy pirate. She's seen both sides of him. She's seen the greedy and selfish man, but she's also seen the selfless and charitable soul. He was a conundrum in and of himself. She didn't know whether to hate him still or to...

She shook her head to shake away any thought of- of _that_.

“None of that, Katerina,” she whispered to herself, “What would mother think?”

That thought gave her pause.

'What _would_ mother think?' Kat touched the locket hanging just at the neckline of her new shirt. She bit at her bottom lip and wondered a little more on the idea, worried of her answer. The fingers that tugged lightly at the locket moved to tug at her twisted rope of hair still over her shoulder, worrying the ends.

“Did you forget something?”

Kat jumped with surprise and turned sharply to see Jack behind her with her bandanna in hand. She smiled brightly and took the offered item. As quick as her hands were able, she tied the bandanna over her unruly hair and tried to flatten it against her head as well as she could.

“Thank you, Captain,” she murmured and looked him over, “Didn't get much sleep last night?”

“More like no sleep the past few days,” he admitted and took the spot next to her at the railing.

“Did I have you worried?” she teased him and poked him in the arm with her elbow.

“You? No,” he scoffed and shook his head,”I knew that you could take care of yourself. I worried about what they would do _to_ you.”

“Yeah, fine job I did looking after myself,” she sighed, “At the first sight of a pistol I jump into the ocean.”

“That was an order from me that saved your life,” he noted, “Thank you for listening to me.”

“You're welcome,” she gave a pause and then looked back up at him, “So . . . when did you finally figure it out?”

“Figure what out?” he looked down at her.

“The flaw in the accord, of course,” Kat said all-knowingly.

“About a day before we got you back,” he shrugged, “It threw me for a loop. Didn't know how I was going to beat it.”

“But you did and I am very grateful. That ship was atrocious,” she groaned when she remembered the state of the ship.

“You know, I was thinking about something,” he put a finger to his lips and tapped them in thought, “Weapons.”

“Weapons?”

“Aye, weapons,” he chuckled and turned to her, “You need something to protect yourself. Have it on you at all times. You never know when other pirates try to steal young ladies from dashing captains.”

“Yes, we can't have that,” she rolled her eyes.

“No we cannot.”

“I have no idea how to handle a sword or cutlass other than what I saw the men do at the fort.”

“You can learn. Hell knows you got the brains for it,” he stood to his full height and in one fluid motion grabbed her hand and turned her away from the railing.

Jack placed her to stand in front of him, but faced her away. One of his hands settled at her hip, while the other took his cutlass and placed it in her prominent hand. After she had a good grip on it he wrapped his hand over hers and adjusted the height that she held it. Once she was in the proper beginning stance he placed himself right behind her and his head leaned on her shoulder, his lips not far from her ear.

“Keep your legs bent and relax your arms. Don't want to be too stiff if someone comes at you. You need to be able to move.”

Kat took a deep breath and tried to relax. It became a bit of a challenge with him around her like he was. Slowly, her arms relaxed and she felt her heart beat normally.

“Good,” Jack breathed into her ear, “Now center your weight with your gut.”

“With my what?” Kat chuckled and shifted her eyes in his direction.

The hand that was over hers slid down her arm, crossed her side and settled over her stomach, “Right here.”

“A-ah,” Kat breathed and felt her heart doing somersaults in her chest. Her stomach tightened under his touch and something cold and hot raced through her veins at the same time.

Jack drew a circle on her stomach with the hand there, “Do you feel it?”

“Most definitely,” she nodded and looked over her shoulder at him. She narrowed her eyes and turned around in his arms at a sudden thought, “I have to wonder. This isn't some ploy to try and seduce me, is it?”

“That depends... is it working?” he asked with a smirk down at her.

“Let's... focus on the blade, shall we?” she swiftly turned back around, safely facing away from him once again. She felt her cheeks burning in embarrassment and now needed something to focus on other than Jack being up against her. It really wasn't done- a lady pining after a man like this.

'Am I pining?' she thought to herself and tried to get back into the stance Jack had put her in.

“Now, wait a moment,” he turned her back around to make her face him. He put a finger under her chin and tipped her head up so their eyes met, “I remember a certain lady promising me a kiss when she saw me again. I have yet to receive it.”

“I... I haven't...” she tried so hard for her mind to catch up with her voice. She couldn't for the life of her think of anything to say to that. For the most part she was spouting gibberish in front of her captain and she was mortified. She was eventually able to just shut her mouth and looked down at the wooden planks beneath their feet.

Jack began to laugh and suddenly enveloped her in a hug, tight against him, “It's okay, luv. You don't have to if you don't want to. I never force it.”

Kat's mind replayed the conversation she had with Catterine before Jack appeared to save her, ' _Pirates want one of two thin’s in life: money and pleasure. So think of it this way. Jack is protecting ye either for the reward or for somethin’ tha’ ye may be able to provide for him later_.'

He was wrong. Catterine was wrong. Jack wasn't like him. Jack was a _good_ man.

“It wouldn't be forcing it,” Kat mumbled into his shoulder and dropped the cutlass to hug him back.

“What was that?” he asked and pulled her back just far enough so that he could actually hear her.

Instead of answering, she cupped one hand over his cheek and the other gripped his jacket. She pushed herself up on her toes and in one quick movement her lips met with his. The kiss was hesitant, at first, then turned heated and needy. Her arms moved to circle his neck and her fingers tangled in his wild hair. His arms pulled her in as close as he could and his legs moved them further away from the railing and toward the main mast. Her backside hit the wood first and made her gasp against his lips. He took the opportunity and slid his tongue in to tangle with hers. She responded in turn, which pulled a deep rumble from Jack's chest.

Kat pulled back from the kiss, the noise breaking her out of her stunned stupor. She felt quite light headed and out of breath, though she knew she had been breathing. She looked up at him as he leaned over her, one arm against the mast to balance himself, while the other wrapped around her protectively. He too seemed like he was trying to gain his thoughts back and placed his forehead on hers while doing so.

“Well?” she asked in a wispy voice.

“Wha'?” he asked and cleared his throat and thoughts.

“How did I do?” she asked, “You know, in comparison?”

He slowly opened his eyes and looked down into hers. He stayed glued to her eyes for a full moment before he lowered his glaze back to her lips, “I think I need another to decide.”

He began to lean toward her again, but she quickly put a finger to his lips and pushed against them.

“Captain, I do believe I promised you a kiss. Nothing more,” she smiled and tried to pull out from under Jack's grip much like she had done a previous time when stuck between him and a mast. Unlike last time, he kept her in place remembering her escape trick.

“This was a bit more than a kiss, don't you think?” he whispered.

“Maybe,” she whispered back and then got a grin on her face, “Maybe not, but I won't tell.”

“I'll just have to find out for myself, won't I?” he asked and ran a hand up her side and cupped her cheek, “You need to be better at hiding your tells.”

“So do you,” she grabbed onto the arm that was at her hip and turned out of his grip.

“You're way too . . . too . . .” Jack struggled with the words and turned to lean back against the mast.

“Too what? Annoying, determined . . . dedicated, difficult,” Kat began counting off her fingers as she went.

“Aye, but you forgot beautiful,” he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“I like nowhere,” he very subtly licked at his bottom lip and she narrowed her eyes at him.

Kat decided to get back on a more neutral conversation and picked up the cutlass from the deck, “Apart from the cutlass, will I be learning firearms?”

“Do you want to?”

“I always thought it was fascinating,” she shrugged, “Maybe that's my destructive side showing.”

“I will set you up with Marty when he is ready for you,” Jack nodded and looked past her toward the sky.

She turned her head and there was a beautiful sunrise breaking into the sky.

***

Kat weaved her way through the rigging about the mizzenmast and checked on the sails that all seemed to be in good repair. She checked to make sure that her stitching held well and didn't unravel in her absence. In one cross of lines she made herself a seat and took a quick break.

It couldn't be helped that her thoughts slipped to that morning and the line that she had crossed with the captain. If she felt it or not, there was a line crossed. It was anything but proper to kiss a man like she had with no ring or proposal. It would be a scandal on land, for sure. People would talk and call her despicable names- rumors would fly wild. Her reputation would be sullied and no respectable man would come near her. And that was her _CAPTAIN_ , if it was another crew member that is another thing, but the captain!

“What have I gotten myself into?” she asked and pinched her nose in agitation.

“No more than any woman before you,” Anamaria said from a few lines over.

“Anamaria!” Kat floundered in her lines and caught herself before she fell to the deck. She righted herself and cleared her throat before she began again, “I didn’t know you were there.”

“I never knew ye were _that_ fond of the Cap’n,” she finally looked away from her work and toward Kat.

“What is that suppose to mean?” Kat looked away, already aware of the heat on her cheeks.

“I saw ye two this mornin',” Anamaria whispered just in case any other crew member was around.

Kat's eyes widened so far, she was sure that they were going to fall from her head, “What? Oh, that... that was, uh-”

“Admit it, Kat. Ye are in love with the Cap’n,” Anamaria shook her head and leaned back to pull at a few of the lines.

“Excuse me!?” Kat took a deep intake of breath.

“Don’ ye worry. I can keep a secret, _luv_ . . .” Anamaria chuckled and began to climb higher toward the cross section of wood.

Kat huffed in annoyance and climbed after her, “Who ever said that I loved Jack- er, the Captain?”

“Many women- if not all of them- that the cap’n has met usually do,” she hooked her legs over the cross section and sat up on the wood. She gave Kat a small smile and looked out at the sea, “I remember when I did.”

Kat pulled herself up and sat cross from Anamaria, “You . . . you love . . .”

“‘Loved’ and ‘did’ are the key words, Kat,” Anamaria looked back at her with a sad smile, “But once I found out about all his ‘ladies’ I decided it’s not worth the effort. Not te mention 'em takin' my boat.”

“Ladies?” Kat was now hooked. Was there something that she was missing?

“His mistresses in Tortuga and the other ports. There be no way he’d be givin’ them up.”

“I would think he would if he found true happiness.”

“Aye, but how can you be sure, Kat?” she looked her in the eyes, “Ye just can’t be completely sure. Ye jus’ can’t.”

“Of course I can,” Kat picked at the wood under her, making a mental note to talk with Kusar to look at it later.

“How?”

“Why would you care, Anamaria?” Kat gritted her teeth and frowned at the other woman, “I would think that you were glad to be rid of me when the Harbinger took me. I don’t even understand why you would give me the light of day.”

“Ye know, I though’ so too,” she leaned back against the mast, “But when ye left I found tha’ this ship and crew need ye Kat. Especially the cap’n. Ye’ve grown on all o’ us.”

Kat looked the other way, “And yet I can never be like any of you.”

“A pirate, righ’?”

“A pirate, yes,” she hugged herself and looked away, “No matter how hard I try I can never be a pirate like you or Jack. I guess I do belong with my own people.”

“Ye belong ‘ere, Kat,” Anamaria pointed down to the wood they were on and patted it, “Yer people, our people . . . there be no such thin’. Cap’n once told me, ‘there only be one kind of human.’ And now I see tha’.”

“Even if I were to become a pirate- fully- I don't know what to do about the captain. I do have feelings for him, I just am such a mess about acting on them. I also don't want to waste them if it should be that he, you know.”

“Either way, yer a strong lady, Kat. Stronger than a lot 'o us gave ye credit fer. Includin' me.”

“Especially you,” Kat smiled up at her with a small chuckle.

“Aye, aye,” Anamaria nodded and gave her that point.

“So what do I do about Jack?”

“Tha's up te ye,” Anamaria shrugged and rubbed the back of her neck in thought, “Ye may be right . . . ye may jus’ be the one to turn ‘em around. He used to bring wenches on board and stay out all nigh' with 'em. He hasn't done tha' since ye came on board. Jus' be careful is all I'm sayin'.”

Kat nodded and took a deep breath.

“Time te get back te work,” Anamaria stood up against the mast and nodded toward the helm, “Cap'n 'as been givin' ye eyes for the past five minutes.”

After Anamaria clung to some nearby lines she went back to work, Kat looked down toward the helm where Anamaria had nodded to and saw Jack. He waved up at her, but she only turned her head away from him. She felt a headache coming on that would rival her worst migraine.

Jack lowered his arm and quirked an eyebrow in confusion as Kat deliberately ignored him and began to work again on the lines.

“Now, what’s all that about?” he scratched his head and looked to his side to Gibbs.

“Women, Cap'n,” Gibbs offered, “I told ye, bad luck te 'ave on board.”

***

“Make sure that you don't put too much powder in, then it will do more damage to us than to the other ship,” Marty finished explaining the smaller things to Kat about the cannons. They had finished with firearms and much to Kat's surprise, she was leaning more toward the cutlass than the pistol. Despite that, Marty told her she was a quick learner and that she would do well with a pistol should she decide to pursue it.

“Thank you for your instruction,” Kat said sincerely and stepped back around the cannon, “I think I should head back up for the last of my duties.”

Marty only nodded and turned to check over a few more of the cannons. There were a few boxes of ammunition that he had to track down.

“Are you ready to try the cutlass again?”

Kat popped her head up and saw Jack over by the door. He held an extra cutlass at his side and held it out to her. She took a deep breath through her nose and nodded without a word. She grabbed the extra cutlass, pushed past Jack and walked up to the deck. He looked up and took a deep breath himself. He was at the end of his rope with this woman.

Since his wave to her earlier, it was as if he didn't exist. He caught her quite a few times off in thought and as if she was trying to solve a secret puzzle. Whenever he came around to see how she was doing she would either shout ‘fine’ or completely ignore him. At one point he took off his heavy jacket and climbed up the ropes to help her in her activities, but she would simply move to the other side of the lines and do her work there. He wouldn’t have these types of problems with other girls from Tortuga, or Port Royal. Why did Kat have to be so difficult?

Jack turned from the room after he caught the looks from the rest of the crew. He looked at each of them and yelled, “Back to work, ye swabs!”

Every man turned back to his duty or found something very interesting to look at or fiddle with.

At the top of the stairs he found her with the cutlass now at her side. She just finished attaching the belt to her hips, just under the top of her pants. She crossed her arms and lifted her eyebrows as if to tell him to continue.

“This way, then,” he waved for her to follow him.

Jack led her to his cabin and closed the door behind them. Kat looked around the cabin and saw that there was more room than she remembered from that night she had spent in the room. There was plenty of room for them to practice without much getting in their way. She paced a little back and forth to see just how much room she had to move in. As long as she didn't need to jump out of the way, she should be fine.

Jack looked at the crack in his door and with effort he turned around to come face to face with the point of the cutlass right at his nose. He looked behind the cutlass and saw that Kat was in the perfect stance that he had put her in earlier that morning.

“You ready, Captain?” she asked with a flat tone.

He chuckled a little then quickly drew his blade and made an over handed strike at her. She brought her cutlass up over her head and blocked the would-be hit fairly easily. Jack nodded and pressed down on her cutlass just a bit to test her strength, “Good reflexes and natural instincts, Kat.”

She only gritted her teeth under his weight and shifted her feet to get a better stance, “Thank you.”

“I thought that you weren't speaking to me.”

“I wasn’t,” Kat pushed back up on her blade and was able to force him back a couple of paces from her.

“Why are you trying to avoid me?” he asked calmly, and stepped around her, circling her while she mirrored his steps. He heard Kat take a deep sigh and it was silence for a few seconds.

“I don’t think you’d understand,” she said finally and took her own slash at him. He deflected it easily, but noticed the strength behind the blow.

“Probably not,” he admitted and took a few basic swings at her which she barely parried or dodged. One almost caught her shirt and he reminded himself to keep it a little simpler, “You are the hardest woman to understand, and I’ve been around a lot of women.”

“So I’ve heard,” Kat said a bit harshly and took a trust toward Jack, followed by a clumsy lunge. He parried the trust and hit her cutlass in such a way that it flew from her hand and landed on the floor a few feet away. Her shoulders dropped and she felt defeated in more ways than one. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists at her side.

Jack put his cutlass away and looked at the woman before him. It looked like he wasn't the only one who was confused, “Kat . . .”

“I’m not like the other women. Until you realize that I’m totally different- who I really am . . . I doubt that you will ever truly understand me,” she opened her eyes now glossy with tears that she was barely holding back.

Jack was taken back by the show of weakness. Ever since she had come on board, he couldn't remember a time where she had cried. Even when she was tied up in the rigging, he saw her rub at her eyes, but never saw a tear fall. This Kat that stood before him was breaking over something. He didn't know what, but he did know he wanted to fix it, whatever it was.

“Ok then,” Jack took a deep breath and grabbed the chair next to his desk. He dragged it over to the side of the bed and then grabbed her by the shoulders, pushed her to sit on the bed. He took the seat in the chair and folded his hands in front of his face, his face showing nothing but focused concentration.

Kat was beyond baffled and looked right and then left before settling back on his face, “What?”

“Tell me about yourself. Everything. I want to hear everything. Help me understand,” Jack heard himself say. He had never said it before to any woman, not even Anamaria. Sure, she worked on his ship, but he never really had any need to know her life or who she was before. But Kat was different. He wanted to know what she did before she was taken away to Tortuga, he wanted to hear about her childhood, he wanted to know about her family and how she got her name. Strangest of all, he wanted to know why her father could be so blind to ever let her out of his sight and not want her back.

“Why?” Kat asked squinting her eyes with suspicion.

“Because I want to know you. I really want to know you,” he said and took his hat off to run his hand over his head in surprise of himself. There was no one that he ever wanted to know on this level. He focused on the Pearl and her needs, the only 'she' that he would know completely. He never wanted to know this of any woman- or of _anyone_ for that matter. You get attached that way. It was way better to remain unattached just in case you must cut and run. She was going to be the exception. He already knew he wouldn't be able to cut and run from her.

Her face began to soften and she gave a small smile as she saw how difficult it was for him, “All right, where should I start, then?”

“Anywhere,” Jack said watching her think to herself and her eyes move from place to place thinking far back into her memories.

“You already know that my father is one of the wealthiest men in Port Royal, and I am an heiress to the fortune. I am mostly English, although some could argue that I might have some French blood in my veins-”

Jack stopped her and shook his head with a chuckle, “No . . . I meant, tell me about _you_. Not your fortunes or what’s in your blood. I want to know about your childhood and your family.”

“Since I am at a lack of both, there isn’t much to tell,” Kat looked away from him with a sad expression on her face.

“What are you talking about?”

“To tell you the truth, Jack . . . You and this crew are the closet thing I had to a family in a very long time. The only people I had on land that cared for me was my cousin and my housemaid. My father never loved me- well, maybe at one time he did, but now he would much rather see me hang.”

“How can’t he love you?” Jack asked bewildered and turned her face back toward him.

“How _**can**_ he?” Kat looked at Jack in the eyes to show him the tears that were now starting to drop from her eyes, “I was the cause for all his pain- for all _my_ pain. It was my fault that I had no childhood- that I was punished for everything else that went wrong following that night. It was _my_ fault I didn’t have my mother or my two brothers growing up. I had no one, but my house maid- I didn’t even have my cousin until I was ten. I was at fault for everything . . . absolutely everything.”

“Kat . . . you can’t be the cause of all that,” Jack said trying the reassure her.

“No? Then how come I was the one that started a fire that burned my family alive and then I am the only one to survive? My father comes home to find his wife and two sons dead . . . and his only daughter and offspring the murderer,” she dropped her head in shame.

“You're _not_ a murderer.”

“Then why are my loved ones gone?”

“It was an accident, Kat. You never meant for it to happen, did you?”

“No.”

“Then it isn’t your fault. And your papa is a scoundrel to blame you all these years. You do need forgiveness, because you also lost something that night. You lost your whole family, and no one should lose that,” he picked up her chin to look into her eyes which were over flowing with tears. He brushed the tears from her face and pushed back some of her hair that escaped her bandanna.

“Oh Jack, sometimes I wish with all my heart that I had gone with my mother and brothers that night.”

“Never say that!” Jack took her face in his hands and stared at her straight in the eyes, “If you had died in that fire . . . I would have never thought to clean up after myself. I would never would have known what lavender soap smelled like. . . and I would have never realized what it was like to actually be glad to have a woman around me. To just spend some time with.”

“You have Anamaria, and the other _ladies_ at the ports,” Kat struggled to get the words out through the tears and tried to push his hands away.

“It ain’t the same, luv,” Jack said softly and caught her hands in his, “Is that what all this is about? Are you... jealous?”

Suddenly Kat felt ashamed or caught and a pout appeared on her lips. A part of her didn't want to look so childish, but it seemed to be an instant reaction. She shook her head, “Everyone knows the great exploits of the great Captain Jack Sparrow. I just want to make sure that I am not just wasting my time. I have enough pain in my past, I don't want to make more in my future.”

“I see,” Jack nodded and looked at their hands still intertwined together, “You're right. You aren't like them- and I wouldn't expect you to be. You are stronger, more willful, and more beautiful than any of them. The thing is, you shouldn't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you, Kat. Not even me. And there is no way in hell that I’ll let you die, or be disrespected by any man. Even if he be your papa.”

Kat stared at him for a long, silent moment and then fell into his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, so she would never have to let go of him. He slowly wrapped his arms around her small figure in turn and gathered her on his lap. He didn’t understand what was happening within himself, but he did understand one thing. He now understood how Will felt for Elizabeth when he said he would die for her. He, Jack Sparrow, would go to the end of the world for Kat- he would do the same for her as Will would do for Liz in a blink of an eye. He didn’t yet connect it to any feelings rushing inside of him, but he knew that this talk really did bring a lot of things to light for him.

He and Kat spent the rest of the night in his cabin, in each others arms, trying to smooth out the new understanding and new feelings that now bonded them in a way neither thought was possible before.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

Ever since the talk between the two of them in his cabin, both Kat and Jack have been trying to make sense of the feelings flowing through their veins. Kat already understood somewhat about what she was feeling; while Jack on the other hand, was trying to make sense of the nausea consuming him whenever he saw her. Neither have had the experiences they were going through now, and didn’t know how to express it, therefore, they kept it to themselves most of the time. Kat let her feelings flow wherever she was around Anamaria, who seemed to be the only person who would understand and keep it secret. Neither showed their feelings openly in public and the crew seemed to be none the wiser- except one.

Anamaria sat in the background watching the two fight and think their way through their feelings with an amused smile on her face. She knew what they were going through since she had experienced the same feelings a few times herself. But she was still quite astounded to see that the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow would go through the stages of infatuation and -dare she say it- love. It wasn’t a very good picture to see Jack Sparrow pace back and forth in his cabin trying to make sense of the developments within himself. The noise from his mumbling coming from within his cabin in itself was enough to keep a grown woman up all night.

The talk about getting to know each other was never mentioned after that morning. Jack had also said some things about his past to get Kat to laugh instead of crying that he would rather not let the rest of the crew know. Although neither really said anything, they would throw inside jokes at each other, knowing what each other meant. Even with all the laughs and jokes going around them, Jack had noticed that something was still off in Kat’s behavior. She had forgiven him as far as he knew, and she sure didn’t seem to be mad at him anymore.

He had placed Kat on the lines and sails clearly in his view from the helm. He still wanted to keep a good view open, just in case she made another slip and found herself hanging over the deck of the ship again. She has had enough time in the rigging that he knew that she wouldn't let it happen to herself again, but that was why he was watching her. At least, that's what he thought. He did often find himself watching her chat with Anamaria as she worked other than watching the sea in front of him. Even though the sea was often clear and nothing could be seen for miles anyway.

The past few days he would often catch Kat watching the horizon, totally engrossed in her own deep thoughts and then slip back into her normal cycle of work especially after some prodding from Anamaria. She seemed to think long and hard, focusing so intently on the horizon to the West, often catching the sun setting most nights. Jack would catch her expression every night and knew it well. It was the same one he would wear whenever he saw a mug filled to the top with his favorite drink, rum. It was an expression of longing, of want, of need. Jack tried to figure what her want was if it wasn’t -for the first time- him. He thought long and it finally dawned on him.

 _ **Port Royal**_.

The port was just West of them, probably no more than a good week away. Somehow Kat found her bearings out on the sea and discovered which way her island home was. The last time that she was in cabin she had looked over the maps on his desk. She looked at their routes and gave him some insight on some of the Naval routes they should steer clear of. He was surprised that she knew how to read maps, but it was something that followed being a Sail Master's granddaughter.

One night while watching Kat, Jack figured that the talk of home had triggered a reaction in Kat. It made her think of the people, of her old friends, and possibly even of her father on land. She was thinking of her old life and how it used to be and maybe in one way or another she was missing it. Her eyes didn’t show the emotion of longing for nothing. Maybe it was time that she had gone back home. Back to Port Royal and back to her old life.

Jack turned away from her outlined figure in the ropes and squeezed the wheel under his gloved hands. The thought of giving her back to her family in Port Royal had triggered a twinge of pain on his insides. He focused his eyes on the slowly darkening waves of the Caribbean. The thought of losing Kat made him hurt . . . nothing like that had ever happened with the other women in his life. Although he had to admit, she _was_ different from any other woman he had met before. She had something about her. Something that made him want to know everything about her. Something that gave her such beauty that surprised him at times, especially when the times included her when she is in her work clothes. That something made him want just her. Not her money, not her ransom . . . _just_ _ **her**_.

He took his eyes off the rolling waves and called down to Mr. Gibbs who was tying off a loose line on the port side on the ship. The round first mate walked up to the helm and took over the sailing duties as Jack walked down the stairs toward the main deck. Most of the sailors were just finishing their duties and were heading either toward the galley for their last meal of the night or straight to their hammocks down in their cabin for some shut eye. Anamaria was one of the last people out of the ropes and found Jack waiting at the bottom.

“Evenin’ Cap’n,” she smiled and nodded her head slightly to him. She immediately knew what he was waiting for and looked up at the ropes and the main mast, “She’s still up there. She’s been thinkin’ lot ‘bout ‘er home on land, I think she misses it.”

“Has she said anything about wanting to go back?” Jack said with a little too much emotion stuck in his voice.

Anamaria smiled and looked back at Jack to find him looking straight at Kat, “I asked ‘er the same question.”

“And?”

“She says she wants to stay on the Pearl, Cap’n,” Jack turned his attention back to Anamaria with eyes wide open and she continued, “She does miss it, I’m gessin’, but she says she’d miss this ship more than she’d ever miss ‘er old life.”

“But she still longs for home, doesn't she?” Jack asked as Anamaria as she started to walk away.

“Cap’n, in all ‘onesty . . . I still miss me home,” Anamaria turned back toward the cabins below deck, “’Night, Cap’n.”

“Good-night, Anamaria,” Jack mumbled and stared back up into the netting.

Kat brought her knees into her chest, wrapped her arms around them and rested her head on top. She was used to balancing on the thin mast, having more than enough practice, and had no problem staying on top of the wood beam. The sun had long past set, but she couldn’t take her eyes away from the line were the horizon line should still be. Port Royal was in that direction, and she knew it. It was waiting out there for her, although she wasn’t totally sure if she willing to go back.

Sure, she missed her cousin Harriet, her husband Robert and Dena . . . and especially little Olivia. She was even starting to miss the estate. The white mansion has been a common background in her dreams of late, and she couldn’t really understand why. Through all that misery and punishments that she had endured in those empty halls, a part of her still longed to go back.

‘To what?’ she always asked herself after the flashing pictures of the estate ran through her mind, ‘To a man that would care less?’

She turned her head with the reminder that he did in fact send out a reward for her _safe_ return of all things, ‘Probably Timothy or Harriet’s doing. I hope them both well. Yes, even Timothy. I hope he found another woman more suited to his tastes and they are wed. It would take a lot of the worry from my mind if he had. And Harriet . . . she and her family must be doing well, little Olivia must be growing up fast. She is to turn –what is it- three years in a few weeks. It must be, with all this time at sea; I can’t seem to keep my dates straight in my head anymore. Knowing my train of thoughts, I will have probably passed over my own birthday soon, if it has not passed already.’

She gave herself a slight chuckle and smirk at the thoughts of missing her own birthday.

“Well, that’s something I haven’t seen on your face very recently,” Kat turned her head slightly to see Jack sitting on the mast behind her. He had left his jacket, boots and hat at the bottom of the mast to have an easier climb.

“Hello, Captain,” Kat said calmly and shifted her self around to face him, “What brings you out here? Am I taking on too much work again, or do I just need to get down?”

“No, no . . . you're doing a fine job. I just have noticed that you’ve been doing a good amount of thinking these past few days.”

“I have,” Kat said looking at the handiwork she had done over the day.

Jack watched her as she made the last adjustments and sat back down, “May a captain inquire to the subject?”

“Wow Jack you surprised me. Those are some pretty sophisticated words for you to pack into your vocabulary,” Kat smirked and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I think it’s all the time I spend with you,” he smirked back, “If I don’t watch my back, I might turn out to be a stand up gentleman.”

“To think of it! The outrage!” Kat said sarcastically. They both began to climb down, Jack first since he was the one closest to the mast and Kat second, following very closely. Jack helped her down, by holding her hips as she jumped off the mast and on to the deck. She whispered a light thank you and kept her head down.

“So, you never answered my question,” Jack continued, putting his hands behind his back and walking in step with Kat toward her cabin.

“As to what I was thinking?”

“Aye.”

“Well . . . If you must know- and will probably insist on knowing- so I might as well get on with it-”

“You know me all too well, luv.”

“I was thinking of Port Royal . . . the estate . . . and the others I left behind,” Kat watched the floorboards pass underneath her feet as they went.

“You miss them?” Jack asked turning toward her.

She picked up her head and turned to him, “Strangely . . . I don’t know the answer to that.”

“Strange indeed,” she looked at him with confusion, “You usually know the answer to everything.”

“Very amusing, Captain,” Kat gave a bemused smirk and continued, “I do miss them, and yet, I don’t. I miss holding little Olivia in my arms and rocking her to sleep. That little girl has so much spirit; she will make a man very happy some day. I will regret not watching her grow up into a fine young lady.”

“You don't have to you know,” Jack said and watched as Kat stopped in her tracks and fell behind a bit. She soon regained her composure and ran back into step with Jack.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I can take you back to Port Royal if you want,” Jack tried not to show it, but couldn’t help but squint slightly at the suggestion.

“No,” came Kat’s immediate reply, “Don’t take me back.”

“Why not?” Jack turned to her as they stopped right outside her cabin door.

“I can’t go back. Not now, not ever,” she looked him in the eyes, “If I go back . . . I don’t know what I’d do.”

“You’d live a long a prosperous life, especially with yer papa being rich an’ all. You’d be provided for. You'd be safe.”

“Wrong, Captain . . . I’d live a long life, sure, but nothing about it would be prosperous and well taken care of,” she opened her cabin door and stepped inside.

“What do you mean by that?” Jack stepped in after her and closed the door behind him.

“You heard nearly everything about me the other day, and you still don’t get it? I don’t fit in there, I never will,” she stepped up to the window and looked at the star sprinkled reflection of the sea, “I belong here. Out on the open sea, where I can be someone.”

“You are someone, Kat,” Jack stood behind her and rubbed her on the arm, “You're Katerina Ben-”

“Please don’t,” Kat said sharply ending him in mid thought, “I never want to hear my first name associated with that ruffian. He is not my father, and I don’t care if blood would tell otherwise.”

Jack stood silent for a few moments and walked over to her bed to sit down, “I just thought you’d like to go back home.”

Kat turned around and walked over to him, “I am home. I can’t refuse my duty to this ship or to her captain.”

She brought up her hand to cup his face and stared into his eyes. She blinked out of her trace and dropped her hand swiftly while standing up.

“But you do want to see them again, don’t you?”

“I . . . I . . .I don’t . . .”

“Little Olivia?” he added and crossed his arms over his chest, “If you are worried about your papa, I can make sure that he never even knew you were there.”

“As much as threat of bodily harm is appreciated, I don't think it would be needed,” she closed her eyes and turned her head the other way, “The cons far out weigh the pros in going back.”

Jack got up from her bed and walked to her to kiss her cheek.

“Good-night Kat,” he said and walked to the door.

“Good-night . . . Jack.”

He didn’t object her using his first name instead of ‘Captain’. He gave a quick smirk to himself and then exited the room. Outside the room a dozen or so of his crew were outside leaning against the wall or trying to get up from the floor.

“I really wish you gent’s would stop trying to sneak in on my conversations with the ladies,” Jack watched each one of them.

“Come on, Cap’n,” Lejon complained and rubbed the back of his head, “We jus’ wants to get a few pointers.”

Jack rolled his eyes and found Anamaria closest to the door, “Anamaria, I need you to take the helm. I need some of Gibbs navigational skills.”

“Wha’ should I tell 'em, Cap’n?”

“We need to find the quickest way to Port Royal. I think it is time we check on some old friends and reunite a family.”

“Aye, aye, Cap’n,” Anamaria signaled with a wink and started toward the helm.

Inside Kat’s cabin, she watched Jack leave through the door and then quickly collapsed in a heap on her bed. She had to stay on the Pearl. If she didn’t . . . if she even saw one sight of Port Royal . . . she may just break and want to stay there. But how can her heart be in two places at once, since Captain Jack Sparrow had already ensnared it here.

‘What am I going to do now?’ Katerina thought to herself as she began to drift into sleep.

*** _**A week later**_ ***

Kat was used to going to shore with Jack now. Ever since that night back at one of the rowdier ports he let her come to shore with the crew on raids and on nights off. She often served for a great distraction during the raids, which made her even more sophisticated in Jack’s eyes. As the pretty woman distracted the guards, the crew would sneak into the establishment and steal whatever booty they could get their hands on. Kat was quite set against it at first, but after some persuasion from Jack and a quick reminder that they needed funds to buy food, she agreed.

This night, however, was supposed to be a night of rest and relaxation for the crew. Jack told Kat that it would be another exciting night and that she should expect a lot of surprises. She didn’t know what that meant, but when she and Jack were the only ones that got off the ship, she was a little cautious. Hopefully it did not involve any other pirates, other than the ones she knew, or any more hotel rooms. She didn't even know where they had made port. Jack and Anamaria had both been working her overtime in some sail making below deck. She had been missing the fresh sea air and the touch of the sun.

“Jack, is this suppose to be another on of your tavern tours, because I don’t know if I really want to get off the Pearl if it is,” Kat whispered in an annoyed voice.

“What? You starting not to enjoy my company?” he winked at her and held out his arm for her as usual.

She took it as if in habit.

“No, it’s just that- well . . . oh, never mind,” she shook her head and looked around the many shops near the water’s edge.

‘This place seems so familiar,’ she searched back through her mind trying to figure out the last place she saw such a neat and tidy dock.

“Jack?” she pulled on his sleeve of the arm she was holding, “Have we been to this port before?”

“Well, I guess you could say that,” he gave another cheeky grin.

“What do you mean by that?”

“We have been here before, but not together.”

“Together . . ?”

“Together,” Jack said in a matter-of-fact tone that he barely gets to use around Kat, “Kat, luv . . . Welcome back to Port Royal,” he waved his hand at all the shops laid out before them.

“Port Royal!?”


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

Kat turned to Jack with her eyes huge and her temper just about as big. She swung her fist back and punched him in the arm, “Jack!”

“Why so upset?” Jack asked calmly and rubbed his arm. He looked around the quiet harbor in the off chance that there were some kind of night watch. Kat grabbed his arm again and dragged him toward one of the alleys near the edge of the water.

“Just what are we doing here!?!” Kat growled at him, “I told you not to bring me back!”

“I couldn’t help myself,” Jack gave a puppy dog pout and stared into her eyes, “You wanted to come back, and you knew it. Besides, I have friends of my own here in Port Royal.”

“Oh really?” Kat crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him with an unbelieving glance, “Name one.”

“Come with me,” Jack grabbed her hand and looked around the corner to walk on the next street. He shrugged his shoulders and started to stroll down the rough road.

“Huh,” he grunted looking over his shoulder.

“What?”

“The security ain’t as locked as it used to be,” Jack started to whistle and sauntered toward the better-looking part of town.

“Well, in this neck of the woods, it wouldn’t be,” Kat looked at the street that they were turning on and pushed Jack back against the wall before he took a step on the next road, “But the next street over is a much different story.”

Before Jack could say anything a few guards walked by the corner, with their rifles tucked over their shoulders. They talked and mumbled to each other about their new duties and where they would be watching tonight. Kat looked at Jack when they were out of sight and gave him one of her all knowing smiles.

“How did you know?”

“I came to this port off and on since I was six. The watch doesn’t really pay near enough attention to the rough and tumble part of town as much as they do to the rich part. That’s the mistake I made, I went where they barely even look. Then I ended up in a huge mess.”

“It wasn’t that big of a mistake, was it?” Jack said being a little offended.

“Well, I guess there are a few things that happened that I wouldn’t trade for the world,” she gave him a shy smile and turned back to the road, “Now, just where are we heading?”

“There,” Jack came right beside her and pointed to a huge cream colored mansion across the street from them, “We’re heading over there.”

“You can’t be serious,” Jack made a dash across the city street and made it to the bushes. Kat looked up at the mansion and recognized it as the home of the Governor's daughter. There was no way that Jack was going to talk her into going in. She turned her head to tell him as such, but found that he was already on the other side of the gate.

“You comin'?” he whispered back at her.

She sighed and shook her head, “Why not?”

It was quick work to climb the gate and they sneaked to the side of the building easily enough, “You know the people who live here?”

“Of course,” Jack said glancing back at her, “I’ve known the Turners for a few years now.”

“How in Bloody Hell do you know the Turners?!”

“Shush!” Jack slapped a hand over her mouth and looked out the side of their hiding place hopeful that the watch didn’t hear her.

He didn’t see anything and looked in one of the windows. Kat soon joined him and they watched as a younger looking woman sat by a fireplace with a little bundle in her arms. Her body rocked back and forth as she talked to the small precious thing in her arms. Jack ducked back down into the shrubbery followed closely by Kat.

He gave a small snort, “Now look at that. They have a little one, and they don’t even try and contact their ‘ol friend Jack.”

“Shame, shame,” Kat said in a type of a mock tone and turned to Jack, “Maybe we should give them a little greeting, then?”

She saw a smile on Jack’s face grow, “Now there’s the Kat I love.”

She lowered her eyes and tried to contain her glee as her cheeks burned with a blush. She tried to calm herself so that it would disappear before he turned back to her.

“Aye, Kat, you coming?” Jack called from the corner leading to the back of the house.

“Oh! Coming,” she stood behind Jack to make sure that there was no one watching them as he began to knock on one of the old windows. Her hand covered the hilt of her cutlass and would stay there until they were safely inside.

The young woman’s head popped up and looked over at the window. Jack smiled and waved at the young woman. Her face went to confusion, to suspicion and then to happiness with a huge smile on her face. Kat heard her voice call down the hall, more than likely to alert her husband of their visitor. She began to tug on Jack’s long jacket in urgency.

“Jack . . . Jack is this such a good idea?” Kat asked.

“What are you talking about?” Jack scoffed, “As I said, the Turners know me.”

Suddenly the window he had knocked on opened to show a young man about twenty-six years old. He looked down at them with kind eyes and brown hair tied back in a small pony tail. His stern face turned soft and happy as he saw Jack.

“I should have known it was you, Jack,” the man shook Jack’s hand and gave him a grin, “Come around to the side door and I’ll let you in. Elizabeth thought it was you. The story of our adventure has detoured any other pirates from coming on to our doorstep.”

“Is that so?” Jack walked around to the side of the mansion and walked through the door into the mansion with Kat connected at the hand.

Jack walked into the living room where the fireplace was. The young man began to close the heavy curtains so none of the passerby would see their visitors. The young woman that was by the fire before came back into the room from the dining area, with the bundle still in her arms.

“Jack, I thought as much,” she hurried over with an arm open and hugged Jack, “I told Will that it was you at the window. What brings you back to Port Royal?”

“Well, I wanted to check on you two. What's it been . . . five- six years?” he looked down at the bundle in Elizabeth’s arms and saw a sleeping little girl, “And it looks as if I came just in time. Don’t even tell your ‘ol friend Jack when you have a little one.”

“I know I had told Mr. Gibbs in our correspondences about Emily,” Elizabeth defended, “You must have a talk with First Mate about passing news along.”

“We have been quite busy as well,” Will said coming back over from the curtains.

“I can tell,” Jack said stroking the baby’s cheek.

Kat stood behind the three of them, trying to make sense of the scene in front of her. She had heard of the Turners before she had left Port Royal. She even knew Elizabeth on a personal level as she had met her a few times over at her father's events. Young Mrs. Turner had married a young blacksmith, even though she was the governor’s daughter. They had prospered from his blacksmith’s trade. He was known to make some of the most beautiful swords in the Caribbean. Seeing the pieces in the Naval yard and in display in their home, she never once doubted his prowess.

Then when she heard of them from Mr. Gibbs it was much more exciting. She knew that Gibbs made it that way, but the stories of cursed treasure and true love winning all was much more a fairy tale than reality. She was enthralled with the whole story. It reminded her of the books that she had read with her mother and brothers. Now, seeing them interact with Jack, she wondered just how much Gibbs had embellished the story if at all.

Kat watched as Elizabeth handed the little baby into Jack’s arms. He was a little surprised, but accepted the little one in his arms. Jack cooed to the baby in his arms, unsure if he was doing anything right and made her laugh a bit. He was enjoying the company of the little one, and as far as Kat saw, he was a great role model of a father. Not that she had much experience with one. Elizabeth adjusted his arms so that it would cushion the baby’s head and he nodded in thanks. Once making the last adjustments Elizabeth looked up and saw Kat standing alone near the door.

Jack saw her looking at Kat and smiled, “Aye, where are my manners? Kat, come on over.”

Kat came over as she was told and stood by Jack. He held her by this free arm while still holding the baby with the other, “This here is Kat. She is the newest member of my crew aboard the Pearl. And part of the reason that we came to Port Royal tonight.”

“Jack . . .” Kat warned through clenched teeth.

“Oh really?” Will asked walking closer and extending his hand for a handshake, “Well, welcome to my home. Are you here to see some family?”

“You could say that,” Kat said politely taking his hand.

“Wait . . . I know you,” Elizabeth looked closer at her and wiped some of the dirt off Kat’s face. She moved the bandanna back to see the rest of her hair and saw the black strands. She then looked at the locket around her neck and blinked in recognition from a few parties she had attended as a child. A young girl... sad often in a corner with the same locket always around her neck and book held tight against her chest, “Oh my, you’re Katerina Benikins.”

Kat looked at Jack with a worried look and then back at the Turners.

Elizabeth continued, “You have been missing for quite a while. I knew that you talked too proper to be another crazy crew member of Jack’s.”

“I take that as an insult, Liz,” Jack said lifting his head from the baby in his arms.

“Did you take her, Jack?” Will asked, worry growing in his face.

“No!” Kat walked between Will and Jack, “I ran away from my father’s carriage. I was knocked out and shipped by accident to Tortuga where Jack saved me from some very ungentlemanly pirates. He is not at fault for my missing.”

“Calm down, Miss,” Will reassured her putting a hand on her shoulder, “We are probably the only people on this block who wouldn’t dream of turning Jack in.”

Kat let her face go into a relaxed smile and looked up at Jack. He gave her a smile and then jumped in surprise as the little baby in his arms began to yell and scream.

“Oh my,” Elizabeth started to come over, “Not again, quiet now, Emily.”

“May I?” Kat asked stopped Elizabeth before she got over to her daughter. Elizabeth stopped, looked at her and then nodded her head. Kat took the little girl from Jack’s arms and began to rock her.

“I have to warn you, she can be hard to get quiet again. At least I didn’t have that hard of a time with Jessie,” Elizabeth said to Kat.

“It’s all right, I’m used to it,” Kat sat down with Emily on the rocking chair and began to sing to the little one. She sang nearly every song she knew including Jack’s favorite- which Elizabeth gave him a knowing glance. After the first verse of the second song Emily had stopped crying and started to fall into a sleep in Kat’s arms. Elizabeth watched in amazement as the little Emily fell asleep.

Kat smiled down at the little one and then up at Will and Elizabeth, “That’s better.”

“I recognize the voice,” Elizabeth tried to think back to when, “But it was more mature. More practiced.”

“My mother,” Kat offered, “She would sing at different functions for my father.”

“I remember,” Elizabeth whispered to not disturb her sleeping child, “How did you know that would work?”

“I would like to know that too,” Jack added a little more amazed at the woman in the chair.

“It always worked on my brothers and I when we were young. I also helped to raise my cousin’s little girl,” Kat explained, “I would sing to her often when she was cranky.”

“Ah, that’s right. Little Olivia,” Jack said stroking his chin, “So who was Jessie?”

“Oh, that’s our three year old little boy. He should still be asleep up stairs,” Will said.

“So, you’ve been busier than I thought,” Jack said sitting on the arm of the rocking chair. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and turned her head toward Kat.

“Katerina, are you here to stay? Are you going to go home?”

“The Black Pearl is my home,” Kat said softly looking down at Emily, then looked up at Elizabeth after a few moments of silence, “Jack brought me here, although he didn’t tell me what port until we got off the ship. I wanted to see my cousin and her family, but didn’t want to come back.”

“What about your father?” Will asked.

“My father wouldn’t care less if I came back home.”

“Well, a thousand pounds would say different.”

“A thousand pounds? Huh, I wouldn’t think that he would even spend ten for me,” she looked at them straight in the eyes, “You have to understand, my father is a very harsh man. I do not wish to go back; not now, not ever. Ever since I’ve been on the Black Pearl, it’s been my home. Believe it or not, that crew is my family.”

Jack looked down at her, pride swelling in his chest.

Will noticed Jack’s expression, “Jack, may I have a word in the other room?”

“Aye,” Jack said getting up from the rocking chair, “Be right back, luv.”

“Am I to understand you and Jack are something of an item, Katerina?”

Kat blushed, “Jack is the captain, therefore I must go where he goes. It is the only way to pay him back for saving me.”

“Saving you?” Elizabeth questioned. Kat smiled and began to tell her about the adventures that she has been on since she was rescued from the Tortuga Port.

“Jack, what do you think you are doing?” Will watched Jack look over his shoulder at Kat as they both walked into the other room.

“Now, what are you going on about?” Jack asked putting his hands on his hips.

“What are you doing with a girl that is supposed _kidnapped_? In the port that she was kidnapped from?”

“I saved her, didn’t you hear?”

“Yes, you saved her, but the watch will not see it that way. I mean, bringing her back her was daring enough. What are you still doing with her?”

Jack was stuck with the answer. He didn’t really know how to answer the question. Other than Anamaria, he had never had a lady on his ship for this long. His eyes darted back and forth trying to find an answer that would appease Will. He knew why he kept her and still wanted her to come back with him, but could he explain that to Will when he didn't exactly know what it was himself?

“You love her,” Will said making Jack’s head turn toward him.

“What?”

“You love her, Jack. I can see it. I used to think and look the same way you did when I thought about Elizabeth,” he paused letting the captain think it over, “You need to think what is best for her. And if you don’t want to lose her or your life, I would get her out of here as soon as possible. Or give her back to her family.”

“Even if I wanted her to stay here, she wouldn’t,” Jack said pacing a bit, “She’s stubborn as she can be. It was hard enough to trick her into getting off the Pearl.”

“What is _best_ for her?”

“Whatever she wants,” Jack said walking back over to Will, “I never realized it until now. This feeling inside when I see her. Not until you said those words. You say it is love . . . and I think that you may be right.”

“And you realize what you must do?”

“I want to keep her safe, but she will never listen,” Jack grabbed his arms, “She wants to be a pirate, Will . . . but, sooner or later she’ll get hurt, and I don’t want that for her. Never.”

“Jack it is a hard choice. Then you have to ask your self, ‘How far will you go for her?’”

Jack's eye burned with determination and certainty, “I would die for her.”

“Then you should be with her,” Will patted Jack’s back, “It’s as easy as that.”

“But how?”

“That . . . I’ll leave up to you,” Will led Jack back into the living room where the two women were laughing, never a good sign.

“Well, we should be going,” Jack said picking up the pace.

Kat nodded and handed Emily back over to Elizabeth. They gave each other a kiss on the cheek. Kat gave Will a hug and thanked them both for their hospitality. Will gave Jack a hard handshake to remind him about their talk. Jack nodded and they left after Jack gave Elizabeth a light kiss on her cheek.

“What was that talk all about, Will?” Elizabeth asked and kept a rocking motion with her arms as Emily began to get fussy.

“He loves her,” he turned to his wife.

“Really? Who would have thought that Jack above all people.”

“He just has a lot to learn.”

“He better learn it fast,” she leaned to her husband and gave him a kiss on his cheek, “I’m going to put Emily to bed.”

“All right, I’ll be up in a moment,” Elizabeth sauntered up the stairs as Will stood by the window, reflecting on the many new events.

As they exited the Turner mansion, Kat looked out for the watch that were still out. Kat looked over the port and saw a large ship on the sea and realized it was the Pearl.

“Jack! The Pearl!”

Jack turned his head and watched the ship start to sway from one way to the other and a bright flag at the top of the mast, “There has to be trouble if they're sailing out. They’ll be back in a few days.”

“How do you know?” Kat asked concerned.

“Did you notice the flag? They'll be back in a few days. Now stop worrying and show me the way to your cousin’s.”

“Jack, this is a bad idea. If they caught me here with you, I don’t know what my cousin will think. She may call the watch without a second thought.”

“Then it’s a risk, not a mistake,” he rubbed the side of her arm.

Kat took a deep breath and started to look down each side of the street, grateful that Harriet actually resided inside the port, “This way.”

***

Harriet stood wide-awake, sipping some tea from the fine porcelain cup in her right hand. Olivia was sent to bed hours ago and Robert could no longer stay awake with the day that he had. Harriet didn’t care for any of the help to stay up with her and let them retire to bed. She was the only one up in the house. She couldn’t stop worrying. Her cousin and best friend was stuck out on the sea somewhere, possibly dead . . . and all her deadbeat uncle can do is sit in his home and read the new property listings.

She slammed the tea cup down on the soft material of the plush chair to the side of her, “Damn that man!”

She turned and took the cup into the kitchen, hoping that no one heard her outburst. Before she could begin to rinse the cup the front door began to knock loudly. Harriet brushed away her tears and walked to the front of her home, making sure that her dress was tied in the front all the way. The last thing she needed was her modesty compromised by some stranger.

“Hello?” she opened the door slightly, not even daring to take a good look at the people standing behind the heavy piece of wood. Her eyes were starting to tear again and her blurring vision with the night’s cover the people in front of her were looking like two dark blobs.

“Harriet?”

Harriet’s blurred vision was quickly pushed aside as she frantically tried to dry the extra moister from around her eyes. It couldn’t be. That voice couldn’t be one of her . . . of her . . .

“Harriet, it’s me, Kat,” Katerina stepped into the light of the small hallway lamp and swiped some of the hair away from her face.

“Katerina,” Harriet let out an amazed sigh and took her cousin in a huge hug. She gripped at her cousin making sure it wasn’t a midnight mind trick. Her hands scanned over her face and her arms in search of any injury. One finger grazed the chain that lead to the locket she refused to take off. It was her. She was really there, really at home. She cupped both hands on either side of her face and stared in her eyes as if she was a worried mother, “Where have you been? We have been so worried! We thought that you were taken by . . . pirates . . .”

Harriet’s voice started to fade as she looked behind Kat to see Jack standing behind her. She began to open her mouth to scream, until Kat smacked her hand over the mouth to quiet her.

“Harriet! Stop, calm down,” Harriet looked at her cousin as if she were mad. The clothes she was wearing were absolutely atrocious and she stunk to high heaven. The fiend that was more than likely responsible was standing right in front of her, and Kat didn’t want her to scream? She struggled with her cousin, amazed that her cousin had become very strong and she couldn't move an inch.

“Jack isn’t going to hurt you or me. He never would,” Kat looked up at him and told him to close the door. Once they were in the parlor and the door secured behind them Kat looked at her cousin with a serious face, “I’m letting go now, Harriet.”

“What are you thinking bringing a pirate into my home, Kat?”

“Calm down. I can explain.”

“Then do. And quickly,” Harriet crossed her arms in front of her and looked at both of them expectant of an explanation.

“Jack saved me,” Kat said simply, “Months ago, I found myself in Tortuga and surrounded by unscrupulous pirates. Jack saved me and, for lack of time for further explanation, I worked on his ship to pay the debt. After months at sea and finding out who I really am, he decided to bring me back.”

“Bring you back?”

“Aye, she wanted to see you,” Jack spoke up.

“I would shut your disgusting mouth if I were you, pirate!” Harriet snapped at him.

“Harriet!” Kat spat and stepped toward her cousin in warning, “Do not talk to Jack that way!”

“Jack?” Harriet laughed a little as her brain took its time in processing everything, “You are on a first name basis with this ruffian?”

“Yes, is that a problem?” Kat crossed her arms across her chest and looked at the fuming and confused Harriet. She took a cleansing breath and dropped her arms to her side, “I think that we should sit down and talk.”

“I think that that is a good idea,” Harriet agreed as all three of them went into the living quarters and sat by the fire that Harriet already had going.

“Harriet all you need to know is that I am all right.”

“All right?!? Look at you, Kat! You are atrocious! Your clothes are for nothing but work labor and you stink to you know where! How can you say you are all right?”

“Am I not healthy? And happy?” she smiled at her cousin.

“I don’t know, are you happy?” Harriet hinted at Jack by moving her eyes in his direction.

Kat got the hint and turned to Jack, “Would you mind going into another room, Jack?”

“Don't need any other prompting,” he gave a short salute and walked into the next room while he looked at all the paintings that lined the walls.

“And don’t steal anything!” Harriet added after he turned the corner.

“Harriet!” Kat scorned her cousin.

“Kat, what has happened to you?” Harriet cupped her cousin’s face in her hands once again and tried desperately to understand her behavior. Kat took Harriet’s hands down from her face and began to explain what had happened to her that day she went missing and why she was now in the company of Jack Sparrow, an infamous pirate captain of the Caribbean.

“That still doesn’t explain what happened to you,” Harriet said reaching for some of the little cookies she had sitting on the small table in front of them.

“What are you talking about? It explains what has happened to me the past few months.”

“I’m talking about your view on _his_ kind. I remember how you viewed them- how your father viewed them. What happened?”

Kat grabbed her locket lightly and thought back to her mother's words, “His kind? Harriet, Jack has saved me more times than I can count. I owe him a great deal of debt, and much more. He brought me back to see you, although, I’m not so sure we should have come back at all.”

“What are you thinking, Kat? Of course you should have come back. Now you can stay.”

“Stay? Stay! I’m not willing to spend one more moment than I need to. I’m leaving with Jack as soon as the Pearl comes back to dock.”

“What? You want to go back . . . with him?!” Harriet stood up surprised.

“I do,” Kat looked down at her cupped hands in her lap.

“But what about your life here?”

“What about it? You know as well as I that I have no life here. My life is a great plan that my father has planned out for me until I am dead. I am to marry someone I don’t even love, some one who hasn’t even asked me properly,” Kat got off the chair and began to walk or pace around the room, “Out on the ocean . . . I can be myself, I don’t have to be some one else. Do you know what that feels like Harriet? I have the freedom to feel what ever I want.”

“Feel whatever you want, is it? Does that mean you love him?” Harriet crossed her arms.

“Who?” Kat asked innocently stopping her dance in the room.

“Jack, of course,” Harriet said walking over to her and dragged her over for both of them to sit down once again.

“I can’t answer that,” Kat said lowering her head.

“And why not?”

“Because he is standing right outside the doorway listening to our conversation,” Kat looked at the doorway and saw Jack peek inside and wave his hand.

“Just wanted to say, that if we need to find a place to stay, we need to be off. We can ask Will.”

“Just one more minute,” Kat said sweetly. He nodded his head and went into the far room.

“So? He is far enough away now. Do you?”

Kat couldn’t raise her head to meet her cousin’s eyes. Harriet let out a huff of air and took Kat’s chin in her hand and looked at her in the eyes. Then . . . she knew.

“You do . . .”

Kat softly nodded, “I’m sorry if you think it wicked of me. But it is true, and I am not going to change what my heart has decided. I am no longer a part of the Benikins’ family as far as I’m concerned,” Kat stood up and looked down at her cousin, “I am going to leave. I’m not staying. I wanted to see you and Robert and Olivia once more before I left.”

“I’m glad you did,” Harriet stood up and hugged her cousin, “I should be the one saying that I’m sorry.”

“Harriet?”

“I can see now . . . it doesn’t matter what I see in him. It only matters what you two may share. What you two feel for one another. Let me tell you something, no matter what other people may think, including me, remember one thing: Nothing on this earth or beyond could stop or end true love. So if your love is true, than nothing can or will stand in your way. I just hope you know what you are doing.”

“Don’t worry, I am very confident.”

“I never had a doubt about your confidence, I was talking about your sanity,” Harriet giggled. Kat gave her an annoyed glance and they both began to walk to the other room where Jack was waiting for Kat.

As they stepped into the room both women jumped as they saw Jack held back by two guards holding both arms. Another solider had a rifle pointed at his throat.

“Jack!” Kat stepped forward with a hand on her cutlass, but was held back by Harriet’s grip.

“Kat, no!” Jack stopped her from coming closer. He looked at her from his restricted placement. Kat looked at Harriet thinking that maybe somehow she alerted the watch.

Harriet shook her head, “I didn’t . . .”

“No, I did, Mum.”

Both of the ladies turned to the side where Dena stepped from the shadows. She held herself and looked ashamed at her actions, now seeing Katerina again.

“Dena . . .” Harriet sighed, unable to bring herself to scold the girl.

“Let him go!” Kat barked at the soldiers and tried to pull at her cutlass, only for Harriet to push her hand down and the cutlass back into the scabbard.

“Now, now,” a voice from the other side of the room came out along with a body of a royal navy captain, “Katerina . . . I never thought I’d see you ever again.”

“Timothy . . .”


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

Kat stared at the Royal Naval Captain standing in the way of Jack and to freedom. He came over to her and gave her a hug, placing one of his hands behind her head and the other on her lower back. Kat closed her eyes, looking disgusted and stood limp in his arms not making a single effort to hug him back. He took a step back holding both her arms firmly on his grip.

He looked her in the eyes and breathed out her name, “Katerina . . .”

“Timothy Belstrude, what are you doing here?” Kat asked still shocked and disgusted from the hug.

“I heard that there were pirates, of course I had to come and see . . . especially if it held any possibility that you may be there as well,” he leaned in to give her peck on the cheek, but Kat leaned out of his grasp.

“Well, you’ve seen us, now you can go on your way and we’ll go on ours,” Kat said as she walked toward Jack ready to take him out of the grip of the other solders.

Timothy Belstrude grabbed her arm and turned her toward him, she tugged her arm away. He stood a little dumbfounded at the strength that she just demonstrated, but then began to chuckle, “Just what do you mean by ‘us’ and ‘ours’? You can’t seriously take me to believe that you are in league with this ruffian.”

“What are you laughing at? It’s all true,” Kat poked him in the chest making him back up. He stopped laughing at her once he hit the wall on the other side of the room and watched her stand in the middle of the room, defiant with hands on her hips. He couldn’t help but to look at her with confusion.

“If you admit to piracy, then you can be . . . but you-” he turned toward Jack and stared at him in the face, “You did this! What did you do to her?”

“Belstrude!” Kat yelled, gaining back Belstrude's attention, “Jack did nothing, but save my life on a number of occasions. He deserves a medal, not a bloody screaming match!”

“Listen to yourself Katerina! You are defending him!”

Kat put on her determined face and stepped forward, “He is a first-rate captain.”

Jack smiled at the compliment and would have given the other captain a smug look if he could have moved his head.

“I can’t believe this! He is a pirate- _Captain_ of the Black Pearl for God’s sake!” he threw his hands up in retaliation.

“At least someone realizes that,” Jack muttered under his breath.

“Yes, and a better captain than you’ll ever be,” Kat said with her arms crossed.

“Oh, a big blow to you I imagine,” Jack commented to Belstrude making some of his men chuckle at him. The laughing abruptly stopped once they received a look from the officer.

“If I were you, _pirate_ , I would keep my mouth shut. I could probably shoot you right now on any charges imaginable and no one would care,” he raised his pistol and aimed it straight at Jack, “Actually, that sounds like a very good idea.”

“I would care,” Kat stood right in front of Belstrude’s gun. She backed up toward Jack so that absolutely no shot could be taken without her being hit.

“Luv-” Jack began.

“Jack, trust me,” Kat whispered behind her, “Captain Sparrow deserves a trail as any man would and you know it. If he is guilty so am I. I sailed under his command as a pirate!”

“Kat!” Jack said struggling between the two guards.

“I don’t deny it! I am a pirate!”

“Katerina, what are you doing?” Harriet breathed under her breath now joined at the side with Dena.

“How sweet . . . a ‘crew member’ trying to save her captain,” Belstrude slowly sauntered up to Kat, grabbed her by the arm and threw her toward her cousin and housemaid, “I really think you should take a clue from Harriet and to shut your mouth. It’s not a woman’s place to talk.”

Kat fought her way from Harriet’s grasp, ignoring her pleas to stay down. She took her place back in front of Jack once again and stared down the barrel of Belstrude’s gun. He began to chuckle and looked at both of them. Kat showed true determination as Jack had a mixture of confusion, fear for Kat and hatred toward Belstrude.

“I can’t play this game all night,” he went to grab for her arm again until she slapped it away from her, “What do you think you are-”

“Doing? I’m doing what’s right for me,” Kat said proudly, “Now, this is the only time that I will beg of you for anything, Timothy. Let us go.”

“Let you go?” he scoffed, “Let the man that eluded Commodore Norrington not only twice, but three times, go? Let him stroll down the street and out of the port with my fiancee?”

“ _ You're _ the fiance? Now I can see why you ran, Kat,” Jack offered and looked at him from over Kat's shoulder.

Kat saw Belstrude pull back the hammer of his gun and tried to line up a better shot for Jack. She only backed up further and put her hand back on her cutlass, ready to use it, even if it would be futile.

“Don't make me do something incredibly stupid,” Kat warned him and clenched her hand over the hilt of her weapon.

Belstrude fought with himself and slowly brought down his gun, “Take him to the jail house. At the most, he will be killed by the end of the week.”

“Not if I have anything to say or to do about it,” Kat growled as Belstrude made his way toward the door.

He turned toward her and glared into her eyes, “I don’t know what he did to you, but I will get the lovely Katerina I once knew back. The one that used to love me.”

Kat scoffed at him, “You are kidding yourself. I never loved you, I never will.”

“We will see, Katerina,” he put his hat back over his white wig and walked briskly to the doorway. He passed by Harriet and Dena who kept their heads down and eyes to the floor until he passed.

Kat turned to Jack, “I will try my best to get you out of here. I will figure something out. Will you be all right?”

“Don’t worry about me, luv. I can take care of myself. If this place is like it was when Norrington was around then I’ll be just fine,” he gave her a wink.

She smiled an leaned up to whisper something to him and to give him a quick kiss on the cheek when one of the guards connected the rifle butt to the back of her head. She fell to the floor unconscious from the blow to the head. Jack tried to jump and almost frees himself from the guards’ grasps.

“Kat!” Harriet ran forward and rolled her cousin onto her back to check her.

“You dogs! Try that with me! Touch her again and I swear-”

He was cut short as the same rifle hit him in the gut. He doubled over in pain and ground his teeth to stave off the pain. Not only was the security tighter in Port Royal, the guards were stronger as well. Both guards dragged him upright and out of the house.

“Oh, my Lord,” Harriet pulled at Kat's arms and brought her to lean against her. Of course, Robert- along with the rest of the help- was up and now raced down the stairs.

“Harriet?” Robert entered the room and saw his wife holding the limp form of Katerina, “It can’t be . . .”

“Robert! Call for the doctor!” he nodded and ran toward the door, “Kat! Come on, Kat! Open your eyes! If you can stay awake after being thrown off of a horse than you can out do this. Come on, cousin.”

Harriet rocked her cousin in her arms as she did with Olivia. With all the commotion, the nanny took Olivia out of her bed and down stairs. The little girl’s eyes were wiped of sleep as soon as she saw her mommy holding what looked like her ‘Kitty Kat’. She struggled down from her nanny’s grip and started to run toward the scene. She was soon swept up by Dena and whisked into the next room.

***

Kat felt the warm sun dance over her face and the plush down comforters surrounding all sides of her body. The bright light from the other side of her eyelids triggered the pain from the hit of the butt of the rifle. She groaned and placed her hand where the butt of the rifle hit. It hurt like nothing else, but she was thankful it was hidden by her hair and that neither a bruise nor bump would show immediately. The irony that it was the same spot she was hit when she was loaded onto the ship toward Tortuga was not lost on her. She slowly opened her eyes, careful not to have the sun directly shining in them. She looked around herself and found that she was in her room. Not her cabin aboard the Pearl, but in her old room at the Benikins Estate.

Kat sat herself up and took a better look around, making sure that her vision stayed clear. She held her head and tried to make heads or tails on the time and date. She took a deep breath and looked at the old clock that was ticking away on her wall.

‘Ten until Noon,’ Kat thought to herself, ‘I hope I’m not too late.’

She slung her feet over the side of the bed and looked toward the open sea, ‘Jack, I’m so sorry . . .’

Suddenly the bedroom doors swung open and a young housemaid hurried into the room and to Kat’s side, “Miss, you shouldn’t be up like this! You can hurt yourself, lie back in bed now.”

“I am not porcelain. I do not break that easily,” Kat stood up on her own, but immediately sunk back down, her hand over her head to cover the pain.

“See? That nasty spill had you thrown for a loop, miss,” the maid told her and put a couple of things on the table next to the bed, “The master wanted me to get you washed and ready after you woke up.”

“It wasn't a spill,” Kat muttered under her breath.

“What was that, miss?”

“Ready? For what may I ask?” Kat asked louder than her former comment.

The maid walked over to Kat’s wardrobe and removed a dark red dress from its drawers, “According to Captain Belstrude you may want to talk to your father about that awful pirate.”

“Of course he did,” Kat pushed herself back up and walked next to the maid. She looked down at the dress and frowned at the mere fact that it was so impractical and cumbersome, “I don't think I will be wearing that.”

“The master insists,” the maid pressed, “He wants you washed and readied.”

“I heard you the first time,” Kat growled as her headache began to grow. She looked back at the young maid who seemed to shirk away from her. Kat sighed and shook her head slowly, “My apologies, you are not who I am angry at. I still refuse to wear it.”

“Yes, miss,” she nodded and laid the dress on the bed anyway. She grabbed a necklace that she had placed on her bedside table over the dress and looked back at Kat, “If you should change your mind.”

Kat frowned at the dress as a thought came to mind, “Will he give me an audience if I do not wear it?”

The maid hesitated and then shook her head, “He said that he would only take the word of a lady. As you are dressed now, I think he would be a bit difficult.”

“He would be disinclined to my request,” Kat chuckled sourly to herself. Then she shook her head and looked at the maid, “I guess I will have to put on a show, won't I?”

“Miss?”

“Absolute minimum,” she told the maid who looked cautious and confused at her, “I don't want a corset, I don't want fancy... just enough to get an audience with him.”

“Of course, let me get a bath drawn,” she pointed to the door.

Kat caught her arm gently in her hand before she left the room, “And while in my presence don’t ever call any pirate you do not know awful.”

The new maid nodded furiously, her eyes large in fear, “Yes, miss.”

She nearly ran out the door to prepare the bath and Kat went to the bed to look again at the dress. Then her eyes caught the necklace over the bodice of the dress. It was the Benikins family crest. She scoffed at the necklace and brushed it off the dress to be lost in the comforter of the bed.

“Arthur Benikins has no right to ask anything of me,” Kat said in determination and felt an urge to tear the dress apart, “That is not my crest. Not any longer.”

***

It didn't take the young maid long to draw her bath and help her into the gown. She wrapped her bandanna around her hand and clutched to it in fear that the young maid or another would carry it off to the rag bucket. She patted her locket around her neck and took a deep breath.

“Did the other necklace go missing?” the maid asked and looked around their feet.

“I will not wear it,” Kat spoke up, “I cannot wear what is comfortable, I will at least maintain my choice in jewelry.”

“As you say,” the maid nodded and then finished her hair.

“Where is Dena?” Kat asked suddenly, remembering that her childhood friend was at her cousin's and not at home, “She usually saw to me in the mornings.”

“She’s no longer with us, Miss,” a younger girl replied.

“What do you mean?” Kat asked, worry apparent in her voice.

“She was fired by the master and was hired by Mrs. Blener, quite a while ago. The Master didn’t want to deal with her crying any longer.”

“That's why she was over at Harriet's. Thank you,” Kat said politely as the maid left.

Trying to keep her breath in the restrictive dress she looked around her room once more to see if she could find any clue as to where her cutlass went to. Knowing her father and Captain Belstrude it was more than likely long gone. She hated the fact that she would have to face the monster of a man without a weapon and in a dress.

“No bloody movement,” she mumbled to herself.

She made her way out of her room, down the dark hall toward the study. The sun was high in the sky, but the darkness seemed to settle along the estate. The bright hallways and paintings she remembered growing up all seemed stagnant and devoid of life. This place, her once upon a time home, was nothing but a shell. She stood in front of the doors to the study and put her hand on the knob. To her side was a large portrait painting of her mother. Cecilia looked out at her daughter, her eyes suddenly sad, yet hopeful.

Did she know about her husband? The monster behind the face of reason? If so, how could she stay?

Kat touched her locket and took a deep breath with her head up. Her mother may not have had the opportunity to see the monster, but she had lived with it for too long. It was time to either slay him or render him powerless. With a turn of the knob she found herself busting though the doors without another thought.

Kat covered the length of the study and slammed her fists on her father’s desk making him look up at her with a quizzical look, “Release him!”

“I see that you are up. Nice that you finally came back to us,” he put down the papers he was reviewing in his hands and looked at her in the eyes, “Why should I release the pirate? He is a very wanted man. Really, a catch like this should not be treated lightly.”

“Lightly!? That man has saved my life countless times! Without him I would have been dead long before now. And you . . . you want to keep him locked up?”

“Locked up? No, don't be ridiculous. He’ll be killed; shot or hung. I’m not quite sure which I want yet. Which ever it is I am planning to have it held at noon. Everyone will be up and able to see it.”

“You’re turning it into an attraction?” Kat again slammed her fists into the table once again, “This is a man’s life!”

Her father abruptly stood from his desk and came over to her a finger shoved in her face, “It’s a _pirate’s_ life, and he shall be executed as one. I suggest you get to bed. Apparently there was greater damage done by that hit to the head than I originally thought.”

He turned quickly from her, grabbed the rest of his papers and headed down the hall.

“Don't you dare run from me. We are _not_ done yet,” Katerina wasn’t giving up that easily and immediately followed him.

“I thought I told you to go to bed, you’ve had a long journey. You are delirious with exhaustion,” he said as he entered what used to be the sitting room.

Kat paused in front of the double doors. Her mind fell back in time where the doors were burnt and locked for the rest of the home to forget. It was the only room she had refused to enter lest nightmares began to invade her mind once more. The room that was locked up for years and forgotten so that no memories of the dead would return. She squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head to clear it. The charred and burnt wood of the doors disappeared to the brand new cherry oak doors before her.

With a cleaning breath, she entered the room she never thought to venture into again. The room that was once filled with books that her mother had loved were now filled with _his_ pleasures. Bottles of rum that could rival Jack's collection stood in a straight line. He had boxes of cigars and expensive rugs lined the room under plush armchairs. He sat down his papers on a table to the side of the largest chair and servants began to get his measurements for a new suit.

“What did you do to this room?” she asked, slightly horrified. The room where it had all happened... and he turned it into a room of spoils.

“I was tired of a charred room being unused. I found another use for it,” he coughed nonchalantly as the inseam was measured.

Katerina looked into the far corner and still heard her mother call out to her to stay back. She shook her head at the past voices and tried to focus on the man in front of her.

“Your mind must be a mess. Go to bed.”

“I will not retire until you free Jack!” she threw some of the tools needed for the suit off of their stand and stood with anger looming in her eyes.

Her father nodded to the others in the room and stared viciously at Katerina, “Jack, is it? You’re now on a first name basis with the likes of pirates?”

“Jack was my captain, _sir_ . . . and I will not allow you to shoot him, hang him- kill him. I will not stand by and watch as he dies!”

“It is my advice to you then, daughter, that you do not watch at all. For he will die tomorrow afternoon.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes, it seems the sooner the better.”

“You cannot be serious! Thank of this- think of this butchery!”

“Butchery? Only you would consider this butchery. I believe that a tight set of rules should be applied for you. Maybe even a leash is in order.”

“A leash? I am twenty four years old-”

“We have had this discussion before! I will not be lectured on it again by my own daughter.”

A few moments of silence filled the room and Kat lowered her head, “You are no father to me.”

“Excuse me?”

She lifted her head again, “You never were a father to me. Ever since mother died-”

“By your hands!” he roared.

She took a breath and continued, “I was eight years old, father. I should not be damned because I danced! Mother gave me her locket and I was happy. I didn't think that-”

“Exactly right! You did not think then! And you’re not thinking now!” he took a step away from her, ready to call his servants back in, “Now go to bed as your _father_ has asked of you.”

“I will not retire!” Katerina stood firm then turned toward the door with another idea.

“Where are you going?” he called to her when she was halfway across the room.

“I’m going down to the jail house,” she kept walking.

“If you see him, I will disown you!” he bellowed when she was only a few feet from the door.

She stopped and walked back up to him, “Then disown me! I don’t care anymore! I should have never believed that you were my father after that night. How dare you try to push me away . . . when I reached out for you.”

Katerina stopped for a moment to regain her senses and tried not to cry, then began again, “You just pushed me away hoping that would be the end of it. Thinking that that vile thing would just leave and never return. But you . . . you are the vile thing. You are the evil thing that left your own daughter to wither away in her mourning- in her guilt. You are not the only one who lost something that night. I lost my mother and brothers . . . and I have the same pain in my heart as you. Maybe even greater, because I know –and you drilled into my mind- that it was my actions that led to their deaths. I have always suffered for it, _every night_ . . .

“So disown me if you must, I don’t care. I’ll just be known as Kat as I have been the last months . . . and you’ll be rid of me. So, I would think that it would be much better if you do. Disown me or not, I’m going to the jail. Send guards, I will fight them if I need. Whatever your decision may be, I will take my own path from now on.”

Kat took off out of the room and down the halls. Her father’s raging voice bellowing behind her. He called and demanded that she come back. She heard none of it as she ran toward the jail and Jack.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

Kat rushed though the busy streets of the Port Royal market. The sun was on its way toward the horizon line, but too many people were excited about the execution that was going to be held the next afternoon. She tried to keep her mouth shut and rage from building as she rushed by women who threw out awful stories of pirates an even worse . . . some of them were of Jack. Some were there the last time they had tried to hang him in the square and told story of his escape with help of the blacksmith.

She pushed her way through the line of people and almost knocked a woman over. The woman turned and grabbed Kat on the arm, “Kat! Oh my goodness, thank the Lord I found you!”

“Elizabeth?” Kat looked at her. She held little Emily in the arm opposite of the one that had her arm and saw a little boy that had to be little Jessie glued to Elizabeth’s right side, “What are you doing here? Where is Will?”

“Come with me,” Elizabeth guided both Kat and her two children into the alleyway next to an old shop.

“What is going on?” Kat asked as Elizabeth told her to hold Jessie and to keep him quiet. She picked the young boy up easily as he wasn't much older than Olivia had to be.

“Your father has sent a bulletin looking for you. I had to come and find you before the watch did,” Kat told her to keep going by nodding her head, “They took Will.”

“What?”

“Jack probably told you that Will helped him escape from being hung the last time he was in Port Royal. They locked Will up until the execution is over with to make sure he doesn’t interfere again. I tried to reason with my father, but even as the Governor he can't do anything. I don’t know what to do. The house is very foreboding without Will there. I do not feel safe.”

Kat put her hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder, “Go to my cousin’s until Will is set free. She lives not too far from here just past the tailor. It's a large gated tan home with a willow out front,” Kat described the home as well as she could, “Go there and I’ll see you as soon as I can. You have to think of your children at this point.”

Elizabeth took Jessie's hand when Kat put him on the ground next to his mother, “Where are you going?”

“The jail house. I must speak with Jack,” Kat stared at her in the eyes, determination glowing brightly, “I know there will be guards, but I’ll take my chances. Find Harriet and tell her who you are and why I sent you there. You’ll be fine. So will Will.”

“And what about you and Jack?”

“I’m going to see to that now,” Kat mumbled looking into the street, making sure it was clear of any soldiers and made a straight line to the jail house. She moved quickly, but assured. She needed to look in control and blend in with everyone else. The last thing she needed was to stick out. Hopefully no one will notice the un-escorted woman walking down the roadside. She didn’t want to make herself known until she actually reached the jail house. Then she would let her powerful name known.

She rounded the last corner and put her head high to show her confidence.

‘Look proud; indifferent to everything. Be like him,’ she squinted at the thought, ‘Just this once be like him, then never again.’

The soldier at the bars knew it was her as she approached, “Evenin’ Miss Benikins. I believe that your father is looking for you.”

“Yes, well you can imagine after the incident with pirates he wants to keep a good eye on me. He knows where I am going,” Katerina said trying to sound as the snobby, powerful woman her father wanted her to be, “I would like to see the prisoner.”

“Which one, Miss?”

“What do you mean which one? The pirate of course!” she yelled at the stout man, scolding herself for referring to Jack that way.

“I’m sorry, Miss. I’m under strict orders. No one is to see him,” the guard tried to keep his imposing figure, but found it quite difficult with a raving mad female standing in front of him, “I cannot let you. I have my-”

“Excuse me!” Kat stepped forward staring him in the face, “I have my orders from my father! So unless you want to turn in your military office by the end of the night, you will open that door for the fine lady.”

The soldier was backed up against the wall and nodded quickly, not wanting to upset her further. He opened the door for her and stood back, “There you are, Miss.”

“Thank you,” she lifted the skirt of her dress and stepped inside, “And guard . . . I expect that you do not listen to my conversation with the scoundrel. I do not wish to be disturbed. Understand?”

“Yes ma’am,” he nodded his head and closed the heavy doors behind her.

Kat glided down the stairs, careful not to catch her dress on any rough or sharp edges. She listened carefully for any movement within the cells below, and hoped that Jack was the only one on his block. She didn’t want anyone to hear what she had to say. Just Jack.

She turned the corner to see Jack sprawled out on the floor of the cell, face up, possibly looking unconscious. Kat ran up to the bars and looked in with worry on her face, “Jack? Captain Jack Sparrow?”

“Aye?” he popped his head up upon hearing his name and stopped dead in his movements as he saw the beautiful woman before him. She wore a dark red dress with a low neck line and a flowing skirt that rippled as the woman walked. Her ebony hair was in curls upon her head and framing her lovely face which held brown eyes he knew better than anything. Jack immediately knew it could only be one person, “Kat, what are you doing here?”

“I had to come and see you,” she sat down right outside the cell and stared in at Jack as he made his way off the floor and to her side, “He is preparing to execute you tomorrow afternoon.”

“I thought as much,” Jack sighed, “Although I thought it was customary around here to kill us pirates at dawn.”

“Not for you, my friend,” another voice carried over from the cell next door.

Kat furrowed her brows and went the next cell down where Will leaned against the wall separating him and Jack.

“Elizabeth said that they locked you up too,” Kat sighed and shook her head. She held up a hand to stop him when he looked worried for his family, “She and the children are fine. They are with my cousin at the moment.”

“Thank you,” Will nodded to her with a slight smile and then nodded to the wall again to tell her to go back to Jack.

“So how is it to be done, then?” Jack asked and looked at the ceiling before Kat came back into view.

“They’re turning it into an attraction. 'The execution of the infamous Jack Sparrow' as they call it. Can you imagine it?” Kat was at the verge of tears, sometimes the tears would catch in her throat.

“Why are you actually doing here, Kat?”

Kat stood in the darkness of the barracks looking through the bars at Jack and spoke softly as if she didn’t want anyone else to hear her, “I don’t want to see you die tomorrow, Captain.”

“There is nothing you could do about it, luv.”

“Yes there was. There _was_ something I could have done about it,” she pointed at her own chest and began to pace, “ _I_ could have been more careful. _I_ could have never stepped foot in the Tortuga Harbor. If I could have been more careful and took hold of my temper . . . I could have . . . could have done something to prevent all this. You would be safe on the Black Pearl and I would be sitting here. Waiting for a marriage.”

“A marriage that you are not ready for,” Jack said gaining her attention again.

“Possibly . . . but at least neither of us would be in the situation that we are both in now. You are awaiting execution and it is my fault. If you hadn’t saved me from those pirates in Tortuga that night- if had never mentioned that my father was wealthy you wouldn’t have taken me onto the Black Pearl . . . then I would never had . . .” she paused and her voice was choked up in her throat. She wasn’t ready to say it. She couldn’t. But if she didn’t say it now, when would she ever have another chance to say it?

“You would have never what?”

‘Fallen in love with you,’ she thought to herself as she raised her eyes to meet his.

She quickly looked away and focused on the keyhole for the cell door, “Never mind. You just have to believe it is my fault.”

“That’s not true. You know it isn’t. I would have come back here, with you or not. True, the rum needs fixin’ and the ladies aren’t too friendly-”

“Captain,” Kat said in a scolding tone.

“Well, you get the idea,” he took one of her hands through the bars, “It didn’t have to be Port Royal. I could have been caught at any Port. It ain’t your fault.”

“But you weren’t caught at any Port. It was this one. That man has had it out for every pirate since I have gone missing- if not before. Fed by his immense greed, he doesn’t care who has to die to get it,” Kat tried to focus, but everything was a mess and she didn’t know how to think straight, “I’m so sorry, Captain.”

“Jack.”

“What?” Kat looked at him.

“My name’s Jack,” he smiled at her, softening her face. She sat back down next to him as he looked at her in the eyes and then looked at the ground, “Will you be there tomorrow? At the execution?”

“I cannot,” Kat said both her head and voice shaking.

“I need someone there for me,” he kept a strong hold of her hand.

“Please… don’t make me watch you die,” Kat whispered, “I cannot take it.”

“I want to look out on that crowd and find a face of a true companion, and loyal crew member. I need someone like you out there, Kat,” he cupped her face in his hand, “I need someone out there that I love.”

Kat’s eyes widened and she backed away from him slightly, “What are you saying, Jack?”

“I need you, Kat,” he looked at her from behind the bars, “Plain as that.”

Kat stood stunned and silent at him, he couldn’t have just said that he . . . loved her. _He_ needed _her_. Kat sat back down next to him once again and stared into the dark pools of his eyes. Her brow furrowed and her bottom lip started to shake as she looked at him. She knew then . . . she would never love anyone as much as she loved him at that moment.

Suddenly a little smile broke on her face and she started to laugh lightly, even with the tears running down her face, “I need you too, Captain Jack Sparrow.”

Without another word she leaned against the bars, barely able to reach his lips on the other side. She kept her hands at each side of his face, making sure she kept contact with his skin. Jack cupped her right cheek with one hand and held one of her hands next to his cheek with the other. The kiss started out soft and smooth, and then turned to a passionate filled desire. Kat stopped after a few seconds and backed her head away, opening her eyes slowly.

“Still not as good as the other,” Jack commented shaking himself out of his dream like state and opened his eyes.

“Well, it would have been better if there were not bars between us,” Kat said blushing and smoothing out her dress.

“That I don’t doubt,” he chuckled and caressed her face, “I just wish we had that chance.”

Kat closed her eyes and felt Jack’s hand try to wipe away the tears that were still falling down her cheeks, “I need to get you out of here.”

She opened her eyes to meet his, “How do you plan to do that?”

“Harriet will help me,” she touched the side of his face and played with some of the trinkets in his hair as she stared at him lovingly, “I will find a way to set you free, Jack. I will not let you down.”

“You never do,” he smiled.

“I’ll be by tomorrow . . .” she gave him another light kiss through the bars and turned for the stairs. He kept his eyes on her, leaning on the cell’s bars.

“Love you, Kat,” he smiled at her as she disappeared up at the stairs.

“About time you told her,” Will commented.

“Shut it, Turner.”

* * *

Kat made sure that the guard ‘understood’ that she never there and walked fast paced down the road. She was fearful of the coming day, yet she was overfilled with joy. Jack loved her. She could have danced her way to her cousin’s too totally entranced in her own thoughts to mind the people around her. After half an hour she reached Harriet’s home and knocked on the door.

“Kat!” Harriet smiled and grabbed her around the waist, “Are you okay? Your father-”

“Is looking for me, I know. Do not worry, if he really wanted me home, he would have already dragged me back. Did Elizabeth and her children get here safely?” she walked into the entrance hall.

“She did. She is in one of the spare bedrooms, asleep with her children. I am so sorry for her,” Harriet and Kat went into the sitting room.

As they walked Kat saw Olivia running as fast as her little legs could go, “There’s that girl!”

Olivia jumped into Kat’s arms, burying her head into the soft, red fabric of her dress, “Olivia miss Kitty! And Kitty almost missed Olivia berday,” Olivia pouted and looked at Kat in her eyes.

Kat laughed at her and looked into the little girl’s eyes, “Well, shame on me! Just look at how much you’ve grown. I’ll soon have to buy stilts to look you in the eyes!”

“Kitty funny!” Olivia laughed and looked at her mother, “Kat staying?”

“I don’t know,” Harriet crossed her arms and looked at Kat, “Are you?”

Kat looked at the ground and whispered, “That’s what I am here to discuss.”

“We have the time. Robert is out for the rest of the night,” Harriet ushered Kat and Olivia into the next room where they talked a night ago, “Well, Kat?”

“I need help to free Jack,” Kat said bouncing Olivia on her knees.

“You want to what?”

“Free Jack,” Kat said simply, “The problem being the get away. I know how to get Jack away from the shooter, but the actual _get away_ is rather tricky.”

“Tell me what you have so far,” Harriet sighed and listened to Kat’s plan. She nodded once Kat was finished, “I know the perfect route. But what about the get away ship?”

“The Black Pearl should be there by tomorrow,” Kat sighed.

“You are so sure. Just by that I would be expecting my whole plan to go up in smoke,” Harriet rocked her semi-conscious daughter in her arms, hoping that she would fall asleep sometime soon.

“Why is that?”

“It is a pirate ship. They will not come back.”

“Yes they will. They have before,” Kat gave a heavy sigh, “Do you have another extra room for me? I do not want to go back to the estate.”

“Why don’t you fetch your carriage? You could sleep on the way back.”

“I don’t have one.”

“You walked here?” Kat picked up her skirt to show her mud covered boots as proof, “Of course you can stay. I’ll get Dena to help you.”

“How long has she been here?” Kat asked from her seat and looked up at her cousin with Olivia asleep in her arms.

“It was only a couple of weeks after your disappearance,” Harriet said with a frown, “She was inconsolable about you. My uncle didn't make it any easier for her. He nearly broke her and then tossed her out. I couldn't let her go on without a friend or a job.”

Kat nodded and ground her teeth in anger toward that monster, “Thank you, Harriet.”

“No thanks necessary,” Harriet smiled and patted her on the back, “She grew up with us. She is more than help. She is a friend.”

“That she is,” Kat smiled and looked over Harriet's shoulder to Dena.

She stood in the doorway with a folded sleep shift, “I hope you don't mind, Harriet, but I saw her come this way and prepared one of your old shifts for her.”

“I don't mind at all,” Harriet smiled and nodded at her as she passed.

Dena stepped toward Kat and stood a couple of feet from her. She looked at the ground and looked so ashamed.

“I am so sorry for what I did,” Dena whispered, “I thought... I thought that he was holding you.”

“Oh, Dena,” Kat stood quickly and grabbed Dena in a hug, “I don't blame you. You're forgiven. I probably would have done the same thing.”

“But your friend,” Dena leaned back, “He will be killed.”

“Not if my plan goes accordingly,” Kat smiled and hugged her friend again, “I missed you.”

* * *

The next morning Harriet looked into the spare bedroom to find Kat sleeping peacefully. She closed the door softly and retrieved Olivia from her room. She dressed in her casual wear and went down the road with Olivia in tow. The guards were taking a break and she had no problem finding a way into the cell block.

Even during the day the jail house still had dim lighting and Harriet had to be careful where she took a step or to look out for young Olivia. She turned the corner to find a pirate sitting against the wall with his tri-corner hat over his eyes. He was humming a song and whispering the lyrics every few seconds. Form the next cell over she heard a second person echoing his song back to him. Harriet cautiously stepped closer to make sure it was the same man. As soon as he heard them he tipped his hat up to see her.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting you,” Jack said clearing his throat, “Where’s Kat?”

“Sleeping,” Harriet sat next to the bars, “Poor dear walked here all the way from the estate.”

“What do you want? I thought you didn’t care for pirates,” Jack acted nonchalant and looked over his nails as if they fascinated him.

“I decided to try,” Harriet bowed her head, “We have a plan. Kat is going to get you out of your pickle and out of the shooter's range. Then you two will flee down an alleyway that will lead you to the bay where hopefully your crew will be waiting.”

“The Pearl will be there,” he got up and walked toward the bars.

“You so sure?”

“I saw the sign. She will be there.”

“If you are so sure,” Harriet rolled her eyes and Olivia peeked out over her lap.

Jack looked down to see the little girl, “Who this be then?”

Olivia stepped forward and looked at him, pointing at her chest, “Olivia! You a real pirate?”

“Of course I am! I am Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl!” Jack said proudly.

Olivia looked at him, tilting her head from side to side, “You a eunuch?”

“Olivia!” Harriet yelled.

Both Jack and Will laughed at the young girl.

“You sure have been around Kat haven’t you?” he reached out and rubbed the child’s head, “How old you be?”

“I be thwee!” Olivia said proudly, lifting her head high, “Almost four.”

“Almost four! That makes you old enough to be a part of my crew!” Jack saw the young girl jump and down, “But mind you, you can’t come on my ship until you are old enough. And have your mum’s ok.”

“But that will take forevwer!” she whined.

“Time will pass like nothing.”

Olivia began to laugh again as Jack began to tell her some of his exploits and the trouble he would get into. Harriet stood by watching the joy that Jack was bringing to her daughter.

‘Maybe not all pirates are as bad as they seem,’ she thought and gave a small smile and turned serious again, “Captain Sparrow.”

“Aye?” Jack raised his head looking away from Olivia.

“I’m sorry for what I’ve said,” Harriet placed her hands on Olivia’s shoulders, “But I fear for Kat’s safety. You understand, don’t you?”

“Aye,” Jack said softly.

“I didn’t think it was safe for her on the sea. But you know better! You know what would be best for her, because you know both sides of the story and you know her. Please, think of the best for her.”

“I always do,” Jack said. Harriet nodded and started to walk toward the stairs.

“Momma? Can I say somthin’ to Uncle Jack?” Olivia pulled on her mother’s dress. Harriet nodded, a little surprised by what Olivia called him. She smiled and ran over to Jack’s cell bars. She waved for him to lean closer and started to whisper to him, “When I old enuff, are you comin’ back?”

“Aye, I give you my pirate’s word,” he smiled at her.

“Tank you!” she tried her best to hug him through the bars and ran back over to Harriet, “See you then Uncle Jack!”

“Bye, luv,” Jack waved to the little girl and nodded to Harriet, “M’ Lady.”

Harriet smiled and left with Olivia having a good grip on her hand. Olivia stuck her tongue out at the guards as they passed them, mentally scolding them in her head, knowing that if she said it out loud she would get into trouble.

Jack looked at the lace on the ground, more and likely came off of Olivia’s dress.

“Now I know why she loves that little girl so much,” Jack muttered.

***

Harriet and Elizabeth stayed behind for the execution as they saw Kat off. She dressed in one of Harriet’s dresses and put her hair up like the day before. Unknown to many others she wore a pair of riding boots, nice pants and a silk shirt under her gown. Because of the dress’s tight fit, no one would see the difference.

She stood close to the shooting ‘stage’ and watched as they dragged Jack out of the jail house. Kat held her breath as she saw that her father and Captain Belstrude followed him with Governor Swann at the end. The Governor didn't take any pleasure from this event, he even looked ashamed of the outcome of it all. Both of the other men held their heads high and proud smirks grew as they knew they were in charge of this man’s death. They stood to the side as a man began to mutter off the charges.

Jack scanned the crowd and finally found her eyes in the crowd. He focused on her and gave her a sad look. She heard the soldiers click back their hammers preparing to fire.

‘No,’ Kat jumped on the wooden platform and in front of Jack. She faced him as the shots connected with her back. She clenched her teeth as she felt the bullets hit and tried desperately to cut Jack’s ropes with a small knife.

“You stupid girl!” her father yelled at her from a few feet away.

“Kat!” he whispered, grabbing her once the binds were off his hands.

“Run . . .” she whispered back. Jack looked up as the other guards and the captain came running at him. He turned to the side and saw the small alleyway that Harriet had explained before. He grabbed Kat into his arms and began to run for the opening.

The soldiers began to fire upon him, until they were halted by Captain Belstrude, “Stop! You may hit Katerina again!”

“Stop? We must _stop him_ at all costs, Captain,” Mr. Benikins yelled, “At all costs!”

The captain hesitated only a moment before he ran after Jack and the injured Kat with his pistol on his belt and sword at his side.

He saw Jack toward the end of the alley and yelled at him to halt. Jack stopped and turned around. The captain was in the middle of the alley and close to catching up with him. Jack looked around, hoping beyond everything that Kat was going to be all right. He picked up a bottle of rum from the street and threw it at a pile of crates suspended at the side of the alley. The crates began to topple and fell before the captain, blocking his way to the two. Jack smirked and began to run toward the bay again.

Jack made it to the bay and saw the Pearl not more than two minutes from shore. He sat Kat down on the ground and looked at her, “Kat, can you hear me?”

Kat groaned and opened one eye with a smile on her face, “Of course I can hear you.”

“You're not hurt!” Jack said astonished.

“Of course not! I was to be a distraction, not planning to kill myself,” Kat stood up and started to take off the dress to reveal the riding attire beneath. Along with a very heavy tin that blocked the shots.

“Very clever,” Jack smiled, “You amaze me a little more than you should.”

“A nasty habit of mine,” she teased him as she tied her bandanna back on.

He held out an arm for her to take, which she did as she had before.

“Let's get to the Pearl before your fiance fights his way through those crates,” Jack nodded behind him and they both ran for the dock where the Pearl had already docked. Kat kept up with him well enough across the beach and to the wooden dock. They heard yelling in the background, soldiers trying to find a way to get to them. Kat smiled knowing that they would be too late. The Pearl was there and ready to make way. It was the fastest ship in the Caribbean. No one would catch them.

Jack suddenly slowed as he came closer to the Pearl and held out an arm to stop her from going forward as well. His adventurous and victorious smile disappeared and was replaced with worry.

“What’s the matter?” Kat asked.

“There's something wrong,” Jack said staring up at the Black Pearl, “It's too quiet.”

Kat stayed completely still for a moment before she too didn't hear anything. No shouting from Gibbs or Anamaria giving orders. No pulling on the rigging or footfalls from the crew as they rushed about. It was too quiet.

“Where are they?” she asked and worried for the crew who had become like family.

Then from the side of the ship came half a dozen of the King's finest. Jack pushed Kat behind him and turned so they both could run the other way. There behind them was Belstrude with another dozen of his men. Kat grabbed Jack's hand and looked at the uniforms surrounding them. Luck was not in their favor.

“You really think we wouldn't go after your ship first?” Belstrude asked and brought his sword out to point directly at Jack, “It was easy enough. They were waiting not too far from shore to pick up their captain.”

“Where's my crew, mate?” Jack asked in a tone that Kat had never heard before. It was dangerous and very much pirate.

“They're where they belong. In the brig,” he nodded toward the Pearl.

Kat sighed in a little relief. At least they were still on board and alive.

“They will come to swift justice, just as you will,” Belstrude nodded at him and then looked directly at Kat, “Release your captive and it will at least be swift.”

Jack pushed Kat behind him further. He knew how this would end. She would go back to him, or worse her father. She would die inside and everything of who she was would be gone. He wouldn't let that happen. He gave her a promise. He was intent on keeping it.

Kat looked between the two captains and knew that neither of them would back down. She looked down at her hand still in Jack's and their lack of any kind of weapon. There was no chance of escape. They weren't getting out of Port Royal. At least not together. Kat touched Jack's shoulder and made him turn to her.

Jack eyed the men around them and then looked at her, “If we can talk some sense into your captain, maybe...”

“Jack,” she whispered and shook her head, “Unfortunately you won't have a good enough plan for this. But I do.”

“I'm all ears,” he whispered back.

She smiled sadly and gave him one swift kiss before she let go of his hand. He watched her carefully, unsure if he was going to like this plan of hers.

“Timothy,” she turned to the Naval Captain and held her head high, “I am willing to strike an accord with you.”

The rest of the men began to laugh at her, but she kept her composure and looked directly at Belstrude, the only man who didn't dare laugh at her. He lowered his sword and got his company back into order. He nodded toward her and without a word told her to continue.

“If you were to let Captain Jack Sparrow and the crew aboard the Black Pearl free- let them sail out of here without being followed and without any threat or promise of future pursuit...” Kat took a deep breath and collected all the courage she could. She closed her eyes and let the breath go, “I will agree fully and completely... to your proposal.”

“Kat! No!” Jack took a step toward her and a few of the other uniforms pushed him back with their bayonets.

She looked over her shoulder toward Jack, “I won't stand by and be the cause of more deaths of the people I love. Not again. Not when I can do something about it.”

It was the only thing she could do to make sure he and the Pearl were safe. She would gladly give that trade without hesitation. Kat turned forward again, her lip quivering in heartbreak as she felt everything in her chest fall to ash. This was what it felt like to die.

Belstrude stepped forward and looked closely at her, “You would agree to my proposal? Fully and completely, without a struggle?”

Kat looked at him in the eyes as she held back her own tears, “Every written word of it. If you agree with my terms. Captain Sparrow, his crew and the Pearl... for me. Do we have an accord?”

“You would be completely mine,” Belstrude said and grabbed her bandanna from her head and caught some of her hair in his hand. He looked over Kat's shoulder at Jack and took a long smell of the strands in his hand. Jack struggled not to push the men away from him and kill the blighter himself. He looked at Kat and touched her cheek with his finger, stroking the skin to her lips. He licked his own lips and nodded, “We have an accord.”

Kat let out a controlled sob and nodded.

“No! I don't agree!” Jack jumped toward them, but was caught by at least four men. He struggled and tried to run toward Katerina. To grab her and make a run for it. They could get out of the bay just the two of them. They could do anything, “Kat, don't do this!”

“Men, escort Captain Sparrow to his ship, release his crew and let them go,” Belstrude commanded his men and quickly tore her bandanna in half. He threw it in the bundle of Jack's things that were walked up the dock to him, “And be sure to give Captain Sparrow his personal effects back. Don't want any of that filth staying behind.”

Kat didn't dare turn around. She heard him struggle and call out to her. She also heard what must have been the hit that knocked him out. It was the only way that he would stop, she knew. And she hated herself for it to come to that. She couldn't watch the Black Pearl sail away for the last time. She couldn't...

Suddenly it was hard to breathe and another sob escaped as her legs folded beneath her and she collapsed on the dock, unable to control her emotions. Behind her, she heard the crew come up form the brig and yell at her to get up and come along. They didn't understand. They didn't know the deal that she had struck for her personal Hell and their freedom.

“Go!” she screamed through her tears, her nails scratched against the rough wood of the dock, “It's been decided! Gibbs, take them! SET SAIL!”

A few still moments, a silent standoff between the King's Navy and a pirate crew. Suddenly she heard Gibbs and Anamaria start to shout orders to the rest of the crew to set sail. She hard Cotton voice his displeasure with a 'shiver me timbers', but no other arguments were heard. She could almost feel the wind that carried them out to sea caress her back. She curled over herself and held her stomach as she let the tears fall. As far as she was concerned, she was now dead to the rest of the world.

Harriet heard the commotion from her home and arrived at the dock sure to see the Black Pearl sailing away with her cousin. Instead, she saw the Black Pearl sailing away but Katerina was still on the dock, inconsolable. Harriet rushed forward to get to her cousin when a man tried to stop her from going forward. Arthur Benikins shook his head at his niece to tell her to let her be. Harriet scoffed at the man, tore her arm from his grip and ran to her cousin. Kat looked up to see Harriet and immediately gripped her as if she was the only thing in the world.

“Shh, Kat. It's okay. I have you. Let's get you cleaned up,” Harriet picked her cousin off of the dock and started to walk with her back to her home.

“Where are you going with her?” Arthur Benikins asked.

“She’s going home with me, Uncle. She has had enough heart break . . . she needs rest,” Harriet growled at him.

“She needs mental help if she planned to leave with that pirate!” he began to laugh.

“You need the help, Uncle,” Harriet muttered dragging Kat to a nearby bench to try and gather her cousin. She ran her hands over Kat's face and pushed her hair back, “What happened?”

“I saved them,” Kat sobbed, “Timothy a-agreed to let them go.”

“Why? What did you do?”

“I-I.. I am to be married,” Kat let out a loud sob and continued, “I am not to struggle... I am to be Mrs. Belstrude.”

“Oh no,” Harriet said, grabbing her cousin protectively, giving Kat her whole shoulder to cry upon, “It’s going to be all right, Kat.”

“I couldn’t let them kill him, Harriet. I . . . I wish that those bullets had killed me,” she choked back more tears, “It would be less pain than this.”

“Shh, let’s get back to the house and to bed. You’ll feel better in the morning.”


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

Elizabeth held Emily in her arms as Will held Jessie on his hip. They stood outside Harriet’s home waiting for someone to open the door and invite them in. The day of the execution Will was released and since then the Turner family had returned to their home. After hearing what had happened after the rescue they had come over to Harriet’s household to check on Katerina Benikins; the only crew member of the Black Pearl to be marooned under their own will. It had been two days since she had rescued Jack, and not once has she ventured outside her room. Except for the rare occasion to get food. She explained that she was in mourning, but she was not going to starve herself.

Robert, Harriet’s husband, opened the doors for the Turners and let them in. Will set Jessie on the ground and watched as he took off to look for little Olivia. Robert smiled at Will and ushered them into the bigger living room. Harriet stood by the window and looked out at the dock where the new ‘Interceptor’ was being loaded for a new voyage. Timothy had told her that it was to be a perfect honeymoon for him and Kat. She would be able to explore the world with him.

“She doesn't want the world,” Harriet muttered and chewed on her thumbnail in thought.

“Harriet, we have guests,” Robert said politely leading the other two adults and baby into the room.

Harriet turned around and smiled when she saw the friendly faces of the couple. She walked up to Elizabeth and gave her a hug, careful not to disturb the sleeping Emily. Will leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek.

“It’s nice to see some people as concerned for her as Robert and I are,” she said looking from Will to Elizabeth.

“How is she fairing?” Elizabeth asked and sat down across from Harriet.

“She got out of bed yesterday to come to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water and a croissant,” Harriet looked up at the stairs, “Dena has been cooking her favorite foods to see if she would eat more, but nothing has given her appetite back. I have yet to check on her today. Dena has been keeping an eye on her for me. The poor dear is getting less sleep than Katerina.”

“Has she said anything?” Will asked and leaned on the mantlepiece.

“Nothing that we have heard,” Robert replied from the doorway. He didn’t look at the others but kept his eyes on his daughter and young Jessie playing together. Olivia wore what looked like an old, blue rag on her head and had a large spoon in her hand as if it was a sword. Jessie used his hand like a pistol and began to ‘shoot’ at Olivia.

“She only mumbles how it was her fault that they were to be hung,” Harriet murmured and shook her head, “How she at least got to save them.”

Elizabeth rocked Emily, “Jack didn't want to leave. There is a chance that he may come back for her. Steal her away. Pirates are known for doing that.”

“She is sure he will not come back,” Harriet lowered her head, “Timothy will make sure that he is shot on sight or the Black Pearl blown to bits if they come close to Port Royal before the wedding. He promised that he would not pursue them, but he has no problem in killing trespassing pirates on our shores.”

Everyone sat in silence for a few moments, but soon enough the silence was broken with the two three-year-olds rushed into the room. Olivia waved her spoon as Jessie dodged behind Will’s legs and pretended to shoot at Olivia.

“You can’t get me, Cattewine!” Olivia shouted, “I’m Jack Spawow!”

“I will get ye!” Jessie shouted in his best pirate voice. They played out the scene that Kat had told Olivia before she left for the execution that day. Olivia almost didn’t let her out of the house when it was time to go. She wanted to hear more.

“Olivia,” Robert touched the top of her head stopping her momentarily.

“Me not Olivia! Me Jack Spawow!” she smiled up at her father.

“Can you go into the other room to fight the evil captain, please?”

“Kay, matey!” she turned to Jessie, “Come and get me Catterwine!”

The two children ran out of the room and all the adults looked at each other.

“She really looks up to Jack, doesn’t she?” Elizabeth asked.

“Ever since she laid eyes on him,” Harriet said slightly distracted.

“What I don’t understand,” Will started to pace the room, “..is that he said that he loved her. That he would die for her, and then _this_.”

“Wouldn’t it better to push the one you love away, knowing that they would be out of immediate danger than to try and run with them only to have them killed right before your eyes?” Robert reasoned.

Will lowered his eyes and nodded his head, “True . . . I guess I was still thinking of the old Jack I used to know. The one who didn’t – or should I say couldn’t- attach himself to one woman and one woman only.”

“So what are we going to do?” Elizabeth spoke up. The rest of the room went into deep thought about what was to happen next.

Robert got up from the arm of the chair where his wife was sitting, “I think we all could use some good tea. We will be here quite a while.”

* * *

The next day the Turners didn't come back to discuss the next step. They hadn’t come up with anything in the past three days, and the Turners decided to take a break on the plan for a day and decided to use the day to spend with their children.

Harriet stood at the railing of the staircase in the early morning. The sun still hadn’t made its appearance and neither had Katerina. Harriet was very worried that her cousin would start to waste away if she did not do something with herself soon. Olivia began to think that she wasn’t even with them any longer. She barely even knew that one of her favorite people was only a few doors down from her bedroom.

Dena walked the length of the hallway and looked up at Harriet as she carried a tray of barely eaten food from Kat's room. Their eyes met momentarily, but then Dena shook her head and walked down the stairs to begin breakfast for the household.

Harriet suddenly heard a door behind her open and turned to see Kat out of bed and walking along the side of the window. A small reassuring smile appeared on Harriet's face and walked over to her cousin, “Well, I’ve never seen you up before the sun.”

“Well, how many times have _you_ been up before the sun?” Kat asked looking out the East facing windows. She stared out and watched the horizon with such intensity as if she was waiting for something to happen.

She didn’t look like a person that was trapped in her room for three days without any communication with others. Her eyes were not bloodshot as Harriet thought they would be. She was getting sleep, and her body still held her healthy form. For all Harriet knew, she was normal. As if she was just starting another day, maybe another life.

“You are right. This is my first time that I have been awake this early,” Harriet said watching the face of her cousin search the bay, “But what about you?”

“I have done this every morning since I was on the Black Pearl.”

“Done what?”

“Watch the sun burn the sky with the colors of the legendary phoenix and give birth to a whole new day,” Kat turned her head to her cousin and nodded to the windows, trying to get her to watch also, “Just bring me that horizon.”

Harriet followed her lead and watched as the golden orb of the sun brought to the sky more colors than she ever thought possible. The dark sky lit up with oranges, reds and light lavenders. The colors danced with each other with such majesty that Harriet could not believe her eyes.

“You got to see this every morning?” she asked Kat with awe reigning throughout her voice.

“If the night before didn’t tire me out too hard.”

“How did you know to watch it?” Harriet couldn’t turn her head away from the sight unfolding before her.

“Jack showed me,” Kat said above a whisper as the stars began to fade.

Harriet now turned to her cousin to see if she had involuntarily brought back more harmful memories. She watched the reds and purples cross Kat’s features, waiting for the shining trails of tears to cover her cheeks. After a few minutes, Harriet’s face went to confusion when no tears or signs of mourning were visible. Was she perhaps over the misfortune? Was she better? Before she could ask Kat began to explain.

“I cannot cry any longer,” Kat turned away from the window, seeing the sun projecting the shadows of the hung pirates out of the port, “No matter how I try the tears will not come.”

“Perhaps you have done all your crying,” Harriet offered an explanation of her own.

“No. I have realized that not one human body could possibly cry all the tears that I want- or need to,” she and Harriet walked back to her room and sat on the chairs beside the bed. She fumbled with her hands, trying to get her body to react, yet no emotion could be seen in her face or her once exuberant eyes.

“What is wrong?” Harriet asked placing her hand on both of Kat’s.

“What is wrong!?” Kat jumped up from the small chair, “I cannot cry and I want to! I want to show the pain that is in my heart! I want to mourn properly! I want to be able to sit out by the table with you and your family and not shut myself away in this room! I want to walk the streets and smile at strangers as I used to do! Tears will not come to these eyes! The pain will not show in my face! My eyes are slowly growing to a dull color no more recognizable than my father’s! Don’t you see, Harriet? I am turning into the person whom I hate the most. My father.”

“Katerina . . . don-”

“But I don’t care anymore,” Kat whispered, looking out the open window of her bedroom that looked over another part of the bay.

“What?”

“I’m giving up. Nothing is in my hands. My future is set,” Kat laid down on the bed, “It does not matter any longer. I am dead on the inside. They can do what they wish with my shell.”

“It does too matter!” she stepped up to the bed, making sure her cousin could see her, “You are to marry Belstrude, when you know he is not the one you love.”

“Because the one I love is free!” Kat screamed, “I would make that deal a thousand times over if it meant that he would remain that way. Free and alive!”

Harriet paused and let out a breath of frustration. She was usually the one to give up and Kat be the voice of reason. She was definitely not used to this role switch, “When I went to tell Jack about the alleyway . . . I saw something in him that I have never seen before or since. He loves you. If you are dying like you say you are, then what is he doing? What did you really save him from?”

“So I should have let him die?” Kat said.

“No, you should fight.”

“That is something that I cannot do,” Kat shook her head, “I have made an accord- an agreement. Soon enough my time will come where I will have to fulfill my end of it.”

“He saved you because he loved you before he even knew he did. And you returned the favor for nothing but the fact that you loved him back,” Harriet sat on Kat’s bed, “Listen Kat, are you willing to marry Belstrude and forget about the love that left to sea, which you will not even follow?”

“That’s the problem! I _cannot_ follow!” she sat up straight on the bed, “I am Belstrude's completely. That was the agreement.”

“I never thought I would see the day that I’d see you in such a pitiful state,” Harriet shook her head and got off the bed, “You are a true idiot if you do not see it.”

“See what?”

“Are you a pirate or not?” Harriet asked while she watched Kat think and then shake her head, “Think about that, Kat. How many pirates keep their word?”

“All of them if they are worth their salt!” Kat frowned, “They are bound by their word, Harriet. As I am bound by mine.”

“You really expect me to believe that my cousin, the fireball that she is, the daughter and spitting image of Cecilia, promised to throw her life away? That she didn't have some backup plan in her agreement? Some kind of loophole?” she looked at Kat to see a small glint of hope flowing back into Kat’s eyes, “You're the smartest person I know, Kat. I know that you are bound by your word, but I also know that pirates are notorious for finding a way around an unfavorable outcome... if they are worth their salt, that is.”

Kat stared at her cousin in astonishment. She had never seen her like this before.

Harriet sighed and slid off the bed, “Give it some thought. Hopefully you will give my daughter the pleasure of seeing one of her favorite people today. I hope you understand that she admires you . . . both you and Jack.”

Kat laid back into her pillow and turned to Harriet when she opened the door to leave, “Harriet . . .”

“Yes?”

“Tell Olivia that I will try- no, that I will see her at breakfast today,” Kat whispered and Harriet nodded as she closed the door.

* * *

Later that morning at breakfast, the whole family sat at the table, trying to keep Olivia in her seat. Her mother kept pushing her down while Robert just looked on with an amused smile.

“You’re much help, Robert,” Harriet smiled pushing Olivia down for the tenth time.

“But you are doing such a good job of entertaining me,” he chuckled and kissed her lovingly on the cheek.

“Maybe I can tame the little rascal,” Kat stood at the doorway of the kitchen.

“Kat!” Olivia popped up from her seat and turned to see Kat.

“Now what have I told you about listening to your mother?” Kat tickled the little girl in her seat which earned her a squeal of laughter, “You always listen to your mother. She is a very wise woman.”

Kat and Harriet smiled at each other and nodded their heads.

“I see that the dead do arise,” Robert commented, scooting out a chair for Kat, “And right on time . . . three days.”

“Very funny, Robert,” Kat commented piling food upon her plate and took medium-sized bites, “Oh my favorite! Dena is cooking again, I see.”

“How is the day treating you?” Harriet asked after Kat finished her meal.

“Better than yesterday,” Kat said before drinking the rest of her milk.

“Find out anything interesting?” Harriet asked and spooned some more eggs onto Kat's plate.

“Not yet, but I am close,” Kat nodded and shoveled another spoonful of eggs into her mouth. She never noticed how hungry she really was.

Dena came into the room, her hands folded in front of her and cleared her throat. She looked down, “Captain Belstrude is here and is requesting an audience with his fiancee.”

Every eye turned to Kat, who nodded, patted her mouth with her napkin and excused herself from the table. She walked into the sitting room and found him by the fireplace. He was enthralled with a painting of Harriet with a much younger Olivia and Robert right behind them.

“It's something that I always wanted,” Belstrude said without turning around. He took a deep breath and looked back at Kat, “A family.”

“It seems like you are soon to get one,” Kat responded and walked to one of the seats in the room. She sat on it and folded her hands over her lap as she was always taught.

Belstrude saw her cold actions and sat across from her, “Am I that much of a punishment, Katerina?”

“You weren't at one time,” she began and thought back, “I was almost content with the possibility of you as my husband. I truly believe that if my father didn't push it too far, I may have found a way to agree on my own terms.”

“Your father wasn't the one who was pushing, Katerina,” he shook his head, “It was me. It was always me. I have wanted you since we were kids. You were always my future wife.”

“Timothy,” Kat sighed and shook her head, “Love doesn't work that way. You can't claim someone and know that it will be as you like. Life isn't like that.”

“Oh, and sailing around the open sea with a crew of ruffians is life?” he scoffed and began to pace, “He brainwashed you, Katerina. He turned you against everyone here and you let him.”

“I didn't let him do anything to me,” she growled at little and tried to keep her composure, “I found myself out on the ocean and he happened to be there. He showed me a side of myself that I didn't think possible. Did you know I can mend sails?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I can navigate too,” she smiled and looked at her hands, still callous from her time up in the rigging, “I can untangle lines and clean a galley all by myself. I can shoot a cannon, can you imagine?”

“Katerina, you are talking nonsense,” he sighed and pinched his nose to redirect his headache, “These tasks are not made for you. You are to know needlepoint and child-rearing. There is no need for you to climb into the rigging.”

“But I can,” Katerina repeated, “I couldn't before. I am stronger and a different person than what I was. I was so set on doing what my father wanted from me, I didn't know that there were different options. That I had a choice.”

“Was I a choice that you would have chosen if given a chance?” he asked and sat next to her.

“You were always a choice,” Kat nodded and looked at him in the eyes.

“There is some hesitation.”

“Do you really think that I am suited to you and you to me?” Kat asked him, “And I want you to be honest with me.”

“You are a bit brash at times, always have been,” he shrugged and looked up at the ceiling, “You are stubborn to a fault and so _opinionated_. But it's nothing that we can't work on together.”

“Work on?” Kat leaned away from him and looked at him as if he grew a new head, “What does that mean and entail, exactly?”

“Well, I would be making all the decisions in the household, of course. You would learn to quiet your tongue and keep opinions to yourself. I would be the one bringing in the money and you raising our children. I was thinking of three or four to start with.”

“Children?”

“No more than six I think,” he nodded.

“Timothy, you do realize that a marriage is an agreement between two people who care about one another and work together?”

“Well, yes,” he nodded, “I mean, I will be sure to include you in our choice of home and décor. It would be your specialty.”

Kat's mind began to whirl with the information. He wanted her to care for the kids and keep the house. He didn't want her as a companion or as even a lover. He didn't want a wife- he wanted an ornament!

“Timothy, I am not a woman to be left on her own at your whim,” she said and eyed him, “I am to be treated with respect I deserve and equal power in the relationship. That's how it works, or it is no marriage at all.”

Timothy looked her over and stood from his seat next to her. He began to laugh at her statement and suddenly stopped. He grabbed her by the hair and then struck the back of his hand across her face. Her head snapped to the side from the strike, but she didn't fall to the floor. She caught herself and held the side of her face that he had hit. He reached for her again, but she pushed his hands away from her. He eventually grabbed both of her wrists in his hands and pulled her from the couch.

“You told me that you would be mine, completely,” he whispered to her, “There was nothing about you dictating the terms of our marriage.”

“There was nothing about hitting your spouse either,” she spat and tried to pull her arms free, “So, this is what it is like to be Mrs. Belstrude, is it?”

“You better get used to it,” he pushed her back into her seat, “It's the rest of your life, darling.”

Dena came into the room with some refreshments and looked between the two of them. She frowned and put the tray on the table, somewhat able to put herself between Kat and Belstrude. He looked down at Dena, but then chuckled to himself.

“I think that our talk was enlightening,” he shrugged and looked over Dena's shoulder to Kat, “I will see you tomorrow at the ceremony, love.”

“Don't you dare call me that,” she growled which only earned a laugh in response. Belstrude quickly turned and left the home.

“Katerina, are you all right?” Dena turned around and checked her cheek, “He hit you.”

“It's okay, I'm all right,” Kat nodded and looked at the doorway that he just left through, “I think that I just found my loophole.”

“What was that?” Dena asked and tilted her head in confusion.

“I need to go,” Kat stood up and gestured for Dena to follow her, “As much as I do not want to, I have to go home. I need a few of my effects.”

* * *

Kat approached her old home unsure if she was doing the right thing.

“It's okay, I'm here,” Harriet held on to Kat's hand as they stood outside of the large doors.

Dena stood right behind the two of them, “We both are.”

“This is the first time I have stood here thinking that this wasn't my home,” Kat said and knocked at the door.

“Are you sure about this?” Harriet asked again.

“This is my only shot, Harriet,” she swallowed any fear and held her head up, “I will not lose it because of the cowardice of that man.”

One of the footmen answered the door and was a bit surprised to see her on the front stoop.

“I need to come in and grab a few of my effects for the wedding tomorrow,” Kat explained and the footman stood to the side to let her and the other two ladies in.

“I will tell the master that you are here,” the footman reported and then pointed his hand to the stairs, “Your dress and all accessories are laid out in your room for you to fit. I am sure that he will be with you shortly.”

“Tell him he can take his time,” Kat nodded to the man and then made her way up the stairs quickly with Harriet and Dena in tow.

The three made it to her bedroom, shut the door and Kat was tempted to lock it. Her father would more than likely suspect something of a locked door, so she left it be for the moment.

“What are we looking for?” Harriet asked and saw the large, heavy-looking gown on her bed.

“My hope chest,” Kat answered and ran to the side of her bed where a chest sat on the floor. She opened the lid and dug through some linen and hand-stitched embroidery from the Benikins side of the family. Toward the bottom of the chest, she found a folded piece of paper and pulled it out. She breathed in relief, “Here it is.”

“What is it?” Harriet asked and took the piece of paper from her hand.

“Read it.”

Harriet nodded and with Dena looking over her shoulder opened the folds to see a handwritten letter with a signature at the bottom, “It's from Timothy.”

“It's his proposal,” Kat chuckled and shook her head, “I read it a few times since he never voiced any of it. It's what I agreed to.”

Harriet took a moment to read the words to herself and then began to recite some of them, “'I promise to respect and cherish you as an equal. I promise that you will want for nothing and that I will be there for you and our future children. We will show them the world, hand in hand...' Kat, this is what you agreed to?”

“I agreed to his proposal, fully and completely,” she nodded, “I remember every word that is written on that paper. None of that was said today when he paid me that visit.”

“The accord...”

“The accord,” Kat nodded and lifted her eyebrows at her cousin.

“Hello, daughter,” Arthur Benikins walked through the door and into her room, not surprised that she made her way back to the estate. He nodded his head toward the other women in the room with little thought, “Harriet. Maid.”

“Uncle,” Harriet nodded back and hid the note carefully in the folds of Kat's dress before he saw it while Dena only lowered her head.

“You're going through your chest,” he said in an obvious tone.

“Might as well as tomorrow I will be wed,” Kat looked at the floor.

“Better to be wed than hung,” he answered, “I know your rebellious nature, Katerina. You try to run tomorrow, and I will have you tried for piracy. Just keep that in the back of your mind.”

“I thought as much,” she muttered, “But I am prepared for whatever fate has in store for me.”

“Indeed,” he hummed and sneered at the locket around her neck, “You better wear something more appropriate at the wedding tomorrow to go with your dress.”

“Well, I see that I don't even get to pick my dress or wedding date. Might as well let my jewelry be chosen for me as well,” she commented and stood at the end of her bed, “Are all my decisions to be made for me from now on?”

“They should with your aptitude of making wrong ones,” he laughed lightly to himself, “I would try it on at least once before you walk down the aisle. You want the day to be perfect, don't you?”

“I assume it will be,” she nodded and watched her father carefully.

“What is that on your face?” he asked and touched the side that Timothy hit. She turned her head away with a hiss from the bruising that would surely come from it.

“Nothing but a love tap from my fiance,” she murmured with a sneer, “He seems to have a temper when you disagree with him.”

“Next time, make sure it's not the face,” her father commented. Kat's face went slack as she thought that she had heard incorrectly, but no. This man knew who Belstrude really was and still gave his daughter to him. He took a breath and looked around the room before he turned for the door, “We will have to get you a thicker veil to cover that for tomorrow. Let the servants know if you need anything.”

The door shut and the room was deathly still.

“He didn't even care,” Harriet growled.

“I still don't know why you find that so surprising,” Kat turned from the door and waited until she heard his footsteps fade before she spoke again. She ran to the door and popped her head out to look up and down the hallway before she came back into the room and locked the door, “I have my loophole. Now, how to execute my escape?”

Harriet thought of a few ideas but was coming up with more and more dead ends. One idea had her running from the actual ceremony, but that would probably end with a public hanging if her Uncle had anything to say about it.

Dena looked at the dress and its many layers and then at Kat's form. She touched the miles of lace and stitching of the beautiful, yet heavy-looking gown. It was quite stunning, and nothing that she could ever hope to wear in her lifetime. She tilted her head at an idea and turned back to Kat and Harriet, “If I might be so bold, I think I may have a thought.”

“Then speak your mind,” Kat looked at the dress and then at her childhood friend, “Color me intrigued.”

* * *

The wedding was the largest seen since Elizabeth Swann's marriage to the local blacksmith. Streams of white and red material hung from the tallest points of the fort. White and red roses decorated every aisle, table and space they were able to fit. A small band played off to the side of the main aisle, between the ceremony and the eventual reception. The aisle for the wedding party was lined with a red carpet that was rolled out from the entry hall all the way to the middle courtyard where it ended at a small stage.

The guests were already seated, all men and women of stature at least a hundred strong on each side were in attendance. The ladies fanned themselves and watched the men take their places at the front. Timothy Belstrude took his place next to the podium and adjusted his uniform to make sure that it was perfect for his perfect day. Arthur Benikins stood to the far side and waited for his daughter to arrive. He wasn't waiting to walk her down the aisle, but to make sure that all of her points of escape were covered.

All at once the musicians began to play the wedding march and everyone stood up to the tune. At the end of the aisle stood a lone bride. She held tightly to her bouquet, unsure yet determined in her march down the carpet. Her dress was heavy and quite cumbersome now that she had it on. Nothing that she could run in should the opportunity present itself, that's for sure. The thick veil that they had chosen covered her line of sight so well that she worried she would fall into some of the attendees. A tight corset made it hard enough to breath, she wondered how other women did it. She tried her best to look out of the veil to the side where she saw Harriet and Robert. They both gave her a sad, understanding smile and nodded to her with furrowed brows. She nodded subtly as well and walked the rest of the way to the stage where she stopped in front of Timothy Belstrude.

The priest's voice rang and echoed through the courtyard as he welcomed everyone to the joyous occasion of marriage. The bride took a moment and looked in the direction where her father stood. He only narrowed his eyes and nodded his head for her to continue. Her hands slipped into Timothy's as he began his vows.

Then, it was her turn.

“Katerina Benikins, do you take Timothy Belstrude to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold in sickness and in health until death do you part?” the priest recited and waited for her answer.

Everyone held their breath as silence followed the question. All eyes landed on the bride who stood completely still and muted.

“Katerina?” Timothy squeezed her hands tight in his to give her a warning.

One dainty hand slipped from his and pushed back the veil. Under the thick lace was not Katerina, but a common housemaid.

“Sorry, sir, I cannot answer for her,” Dena bowed her head and handed a letter to the stunned groom, “She expects that the contract is null and void. She agreed to what you wrote and promised her- not to what you tried to _impose_. Thus, the accord is broken on your actions.”

“What?!” he roared and nearly tore open the letter. His face turned red in fury and he grabbed Dena by the arm, “Where is she?!”

“Please, sir, you're hurting me,” Dena frowned and tried to pull her arm from him.

“Kindly let go of my housemaid,” Harriet stepped to the front to rescue her friend.

“Harriet! Did you put her up to this?” Arthur now stepped in and shoved a finger at Dena.

“I don't know what you are talking about, Uncle,” Harriet carefully pried Dena away from Timothy's grasp and held her to her side, “Really, all I am is a woman. What do I know of well thought out plans and trickery?”

Arthur frowned and nodded toward Dena, “What is she doing in Katerina's wedding dress?”

“What happened, Dena?” Harriet asked gently.

“Miss Katerina told me to take her place, to march up and hand the letter to Captain Belstrude, Ma'am,” Dena nodded toward him, “I wouldn't dare disagree with her or disobey her. With her time on a pirate ship and all. No tellin' what she would do.”

“There you have it, gentleman,” Harriet held Dena in a hug of protection at her side, “She was doing as was told, under some stressful circumstances as it was.”

“You had this planned!” Arthur yelled in Harriet's face.

“How could I? I've been under your careful eye this entire day to make sure that I behaved,” Harriet answered.

“I can make her talk,” Timothy began to raise his hand to the two ladies, but it was caught in the air by Robert.

“You touch my wife, there will be more than Hell to pay, Captain,” Robert warned him and threw his arm away from his wife, “You dared to lay a hand on someone in my home, it will not happen again. That's a promise.”

Timothy rubbed at his wrist where Robert had caught him and looked from Harriet and Robert to the rest of the guests who sat shocked. A military man raised a hand to a lady who had done nothing to merit such action was a scandal. Timothy turned on his heel and walked off the stage and toward his office. He shouted orders as he went.

“She couldn't have gone far, men!” he yelled for his company, “I want every ship, boat, and crate in this port searched and locked down!”

Harriet and Robert looked at one another with slight worry etched on their faces. Guards ran around the port, looking everywhere they could, stopping every ship and boat ready to set sail. They wouldn't find her. She was already gone. Katerina was on a ship and out to sea hours before the wedding even took place. Both Harriet and Dena had to say goodbye to her the night before for it to work completely, but it was worth it. It worked.

Dena looked out to the sea, unable to see the sails of the ship that carried her friend away to another adventure and a new life of her choosing.

“I will miss her terribly,” Harriet said.

“It defiantly will be a little less busy around here without her.”

“I hope she finds him,” Dena smiled and sighed as she turned back to her mistress and friend, “ . . . I really do.”

* * *

The sun was setting when Kat lost sight of Port Royal. She hugged her bag into her chest and heard something start to crinkle. She opened the bag and took out a rolled-up piece of paper. She unrolled it to see an illustration of Jack staring back at her. It was the wanted poster she hid in her bottom drawer.

“I swear Harriet, nothing is hidden from you,” Kat shook her head and her brow suddenly furrowed when she saw a handkerchief. Wrapped inside was a few bars of soap with a scrawled hurried note that read 'Just in case'. Kat chuckled a little at her cousin and re-wrapped the bars as she would find a way to use them.

There were a few things that she was able to confiscate from the manor that will prove useful in the coming weeks. There was a silver lining to Arthur's fondness of the finer things in life. At least she can trade a few of the gold and silver trinkets for some lodging and safe passage.

She watched the sun sink into the sea and found a sense of calmness come with it. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't confused. She didn't feel lost. She knew exactly where she was going and who she was out to find. She wouldn't be stopped unless she found him or death claimed her first.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

Kat looked over the maps in front of her and began her task of finding safe waters to transverse through. From her time on the Pearl, she knew which waters were heavily frequented by pirates and marauders and made sure that her new crew would steer far from that lot. She was the newly appointed Sailing Master on the merchant ship, the Silver Maiden. It was a fine ship to be sure- not as grand as the Black Pearl, but what ship was?

A pinch of pride swelled up in her chest as she realized that she was now the same position as her grandfather. She never knew the man, but her mother's stories taught her well. They also painted a picture of a man to be proud of and proud to follow the foot steps of.

After plotting yet another course for their next port, she shut the compass and put her tools away. She looked out the window from the large Captain's Cabin and watched the sunlight dance over the rolling waves. She wasn’t able to watch the sunrise that morning, and wouldn’t be able to on this ship since the captain had a strict curfew for the whole crew. It was a small price to pay since she got away from Port Royal and her father’s oppressive hand. Not to mention Timothy's strong one. She was out on the sea, free to find Jack . . . if she could find him.

_'Jack . . . where was he?'_

Captain Fresbsas of the Sliver Maiden, said that they wouldn’t be reaching land for another week. Kat agreed to help with whatever she could to pay for her voyage on the ship. At first Fresbsas wouldn’t hear of it, but after she told him that she could read maps and knew the finer points of working the sails, he couldn't refuse. He was down a Sailing Master and he couldn't say no to a lady in dire straights. He was a very nice man and reminded Kat a lot of Mr. Gibbs. She usually ate with the captain since she didn’t know the rest of the crew very well and found a companion in the older man. The captain was like an older brother, but because of his age, Kat saw him maybe even as a father figure. After all, he was at least her father’s age, if not a few years over.

The voyage on the Silver Maiden was not bad and Kat enjoyed her new duties that challenged her mentally as well as physically. She often found herself helping in the ropes and sitting on the mast, looking out on the clear Caribbean waters for miles if their course was already set. She often had time to herself and sat up on the rigging catching sea animals jump out of the ocean. She was at home on the sea and she realized that for as long as she lived, that is where she would always want to be.

Pidus, one of the other mast hands, was intrigued by the woman ever since she boarded the ship. He too joined the crew at Port Royal- he had been a drifter for the past few years, getting odd jobs on ships wherever he could find them. He was eighteen when the house he was staying in threw him out and that was near seven years ago. With a height of near six feet, he stood out from the rest of the crew. His ragged brown hair covered most of his face and his dark blue eyes giving him a mysterious aura. His body wasn’t that built, but his arms were strong enough to strangle anyone he pleased.

When Kat first came on the ship Pidus was the first one to volunteer to be Kat’s guide to the ship and the lines. The captain didn’t want him to guide her around the ship, since Pidus just came aboard as well, and took care of that part himself. But since Pidus did seem to know how the mast and ropes worked he let Pidus supervise Kat when she worked out on the rigging. Most of the time she never needed help and he had to resort to sitting above her and watch her do her tasks. He soon found himself attracted to young Kat and couldn’t help but compliment her on everything he could think of. Unknown to him, Kat only saw it as kindness and spent a good amount of time with Pidus when she wasn’t with the captain.

Kat tied the last of the rigging and wiped the sweat from her brow with her hand. She nodded at the job well done and sat on the side of the mast, swinging her legs back and forth. Pidus noticed Kat was done with her work and climbed down to her.

“So ye are done all ready, aye?” he said looking at the ropes swinging in the light wind.

“Yes, I do believe I am, Mr. Pidus,” Kat put her hands behind her head and looked at the sky and at the clouds.

“Wha’ ye thinkin’ ‘bout?” Pidus asked sitting across from her.

“My original captain,” Kat said with a sigh, “I miss him.”

“I though’ ye came from a wealthy family in Port Royal,” Pidus said with a questioning tone.

“I do, but I sailed on a pirate ship for months a little while ago, until my captain made the mistake of returning to Port Royal.”

“Was ‘e hanged?”

“No,” Kat sighed and closed her eyes while her voice barely reached a whisper, “…he escaped.”

“Then why ye be ‘ere ‘stead of on yer ship?”

“Because I sacrificed myself to stay behind so my crew could go free,” Kat picked her head up and looked at the horizon, “But I can take care of myself and I will find the Black Pearl and her captain.”

“Ye are talkin’ ‘bout Captain Jack Sparrow?” he asked amazed.

“Yes, why?”

“No wonder ye be missin’ ‘em so much. He was always good with the ladies, Sparrow was.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean by that?” Kat asked standing against the center mast.

“Ye love a man tha’ never loves back, I’m afraid,” he said putting her hands behind him innocently.

“You take that back!” Kat began to advance.

“Katerina, dear!” Captain Fresbsas shouted from below, “It’s time for a break. Ye want to take a short walk ‘round me ship? There are a few points of interest I would like to discuss with you around our plotted course.”

“Aye, aye sir!” Kat called down, then turned to Pidus, “Good day, Mr. Pidus.”

He squinted once hearing his name used in such a hateful manner. Kat clung to a rope and climbed down to meet the round captain by the mast. She smiled as he offered an arm and took it to start their walk.

“Aye Kat, ye deserve a man tha’ will love ye back,” he said to himself, “An’ I be he.”

* * *

Kat took her dinner to her small cabin below deck. Her cabin was separated from the rest of the crew seeing that she was the only female on board. The floor was covered with rags and pieces of wood. Apparently the room was used as a type of storeroom before she came along. Boxes and different items still cluttered the corners of the room, but Kat lived with it. It was the only place she had on the whole ship to call her own and it wasn't to be hers for very long. She knew she would have to move on to another ship soon. If nothing other than to throw any pursuit of her off course.

Kat put her plate of food on her makeshift hammock and started to spruce up the room. Before she could get halfway through the room, her hunger overcame her urge for tidiness and she collapsed on the floor. She crawled over to her plate and began to eat straight off of it. She left her plate on the hammock and just felt for the food with her hand as she sat on the floor. She looked up at the small window that showed the night sky and tried to find any of the constellations that she favored.

A sigh escaped her lips and she bit into a thick piece of meat. She felt a little bad for having the captain eat alone, especially since he had been so nice to her, but it was about time that she received some introspection and a hard look at where she should go next. For the past half week she has been in company with men, and not one of them really knew her. At least on the Black Pearl Kat had Anamaria to pour her heart to. Even Mr. Cotton was a good listener, but how much talking could his parrot do back in the long run?

She stuffed the other half of the piece of meat in her mouth and started to chew with thought, ‘How can I start to look for him when I’m not even on land? Where do I start? How can I tell that I’m on the right track?’

She lowered her eyes from the window and looked at the ground, “Where are you Jack? I miss you so much. Nothing seems to be the same...absolutely nothing.”

Rolling down to the floor on her side she rested her head on one of her hands and began to play with some of the wood chips with the other. Time couldn’t pass any slower than when she was in her room. Thinking . . . just immersing her mind in thought and what ifs.

Kat was shaken out of her thoughts when someone knocked on the door. Kat got up and walked to the door, thinking it was the captain.

“I’m sorry captain, but I am in no mood for compa-”

She stopped short when she opened the door and saw Pidus standing with two cups of what looked like wine in each hand, “’Ello Kat. I just though’ ye would like some of the wine.”

“Hello Mr. Pidus,” Kat said calmly looking at the wine glass then back at the man. She still was a little sore with him from earlier and wasn’t in a very good mood to talk, “Thank you for the offer, but I already have what I need.”

Pidus stopped her from closing the door on him by putting a foot in the door, “I wan’ te say I’m sorry, lass.”

Kat paused and looked at him from behind the door, “For what?”

“Fer wha’ I said ‘bout Cap’n Sparrow. Yer righ’ te say ‘e be a good cap’n,” he added with a pleading tone in his voice.

Kat sighed and opened the door to let him in, “Please come in.”

Pidus smiled and handed her a goblet of the wine and sat on the box that hadn’t been moved to another room. Kat looked into the goblet and put it on the old dresser that was put in her room from the captain’s quarters. She picked up her plate and sat down on her hammock. She spooned around the remaining meal with the knife and looked at her plate.

“Ye should try the wine. It be one ‘o the best I've 'ad in a while,” Pidus spoke up, drinking a little from his goblet as if to emphasize his point.

“I’m not in the mood for wine. Unfortunately, I am not a big drinker,” she looked up at him, “I do accept your apology, but I am still quite upset with you.”

“I only was sayin’ wha’ I ‘eard ‘bout Sparrow,” he said defensively.

“That is the problem. People go by what they hear, not by what they know of a person.”

“Wha’ is there to know ‘o a pirate?”

“Much more than any ‘civilized’ person would account,” Kat said harshly, “You know, I consider myself a pirate.”

“Ye do? How’s tha’?” he asked with a chuckle, “Ye don' act or look like one.”

“I sailed under a pirate flag, under a command of a pirate captain,” she said happily kicking her legs a little from side to side as if she was a little girl telling her biggest secret, “I was out on the sea, helping to raid settlements -peacefully, may I add- and I was happy. I was so happy.”

“Ye know, I could turn ye in to the guards at the next port with the thin’s yer tellin’ me.”

“I bet my father would love you to do so,” Kat nodded her head, “Yes, he would be so happy he would probably give you a good twenty pounds and give you a front row seat to my execution.”

“Execution?” Pidus got up and walked over to the dresser, grabbed her goblet of wine and walked it back over to her, “Ye can’t lead me to believe tha’ yer own papa would wan’ ye dead.”

“Turn me in and see,” Kat offered.

“No, I think I'll keep ye around,” Pidus offered her the goblet again, “Now drink up. Ye don’ know wha’ ye be missin’.”

Kat looked at the goblet in Pidus’s hand and his smile. Her own smile began to fade and she stood up, putting the plate of food back on the hammock. She took the goblet from his hand and looked into it. She studied its color and caught a strange smell coming from the golden goblet. Her eyes began to squint in thought. Pidus looked at her as if he was scared of something, he was fidgeting the more she hesitated in drinking.

“You sure this is of such fine quality?” Kat asked, trying to cover her suspicions of the wine.

“Aye, I’m sure,” he pushed the cup to her lips and pulled up his drink to his own.

Kat put the cup to her lips, but did not allow any to enter her mouth or her gullet. She pretended to swallow the wine and smiled along with Pidus. He pulled down his cup from his lips and looked at Kat expectantly. She had a good idea of what he was up to now and knew what real wine and rum smelt like from being around Jack as much as she was.

She smiled at his confused expression and walked over to the door of her cabin, “Well, I’ve had better. I think it is time you left.”

Pidus walked slowly up to her and closed the door with one hand, “I don’ think so.”

Kat stared into his eyes and finally saw the danger shine through. She breathed in a deep breath and threw the cup of wine in his face. She tried to open the door, but Pidus grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground. She let out a gasp as she hit the floor and snapped her head in his direction as he walked briskly over to her. He fell over her and held her on the floor.

“Ye could ‘ave forgotten ‘em. Ye could ‘ave loved me!” he yelled in her face, keeping a handful of her hair in his hand, “Sparrow would never treat ye like I would.”

Kat saw that her plate had fallen to the floor, her knife nearly a touch away from her fingertips. She struggled in his grip and reached her fingers out to get a hold of the knife that was sitting on floor. Pidus tried to lean forward to kiss her when she finally got her fingers around the handle of the knife and pushed the sharp blade into the meat of his hand. He yelled and pulled his hand back. It was all the opportunity she needed. She brought the short knife up and sliced in over his cheek which sent him falling back and off of her. Kat stumbled to her feet and kept her eyes on his movements, the knife tight in her grasp.

“Ye wrench!” he yelled at her holding his face and looking at the blood on his hand every so often.

“I am not _**your**_ wrench!” she held the knife in front of her, “Now let me out!”

“Ye sure ain’t me wrench! Yer Jack’s!”

“You bastard!” she rushed forward and hit him in the chest. She pushed past him and made it out to the main deck. He pulled his own knife our from his boots and lunged at Kat. She was still clumsy in her dodges and feigns, but was good enough to trick and avoid his knife. Pidus earned a few more cuts along his arm. She had a small cut on her upper arm, but not nearly as deep or as numerous as Pidus now sported.

“Let me past or I swear I will scream!”

“Ye think anyone's gonna help ye?”

“Then I will help myself,” she took a deep breath and kicked at his hand, his knife jumping from his grip and slid down the hallway into the dark, “You're down a weapon.”

“I still have me strength, an' tha' be enough,” he took a few steps toward her when the captain and a couple of other men came around the corner.

“Kat!” Captain Fresbsas looked at her and then looked up at Pidus, “Wha' is going on here?”

Kat looked gratefully at the man and lowered her knife only when she was at his side, “Mr. Pidus thought that it would be a fine idea to spike my wine and then assault me.”

Fresbsas glared harshly at Pidus, his voice boomed over the deck, “Pidus!”

Pidus’s eyes grew huge and ran toward the cabins where the other crew members were absent at dinner. The other two crew members ran after him before he got too far.

“Ye all right, lass?” Fresbsas asked looking down at her.

“I want off at the next port, Captain,” Kat said bluntly.

“Lass?” he asked surprised, “He’ll be locked in the brig below. He won’t harm ye anymore.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kat said, “I’m sorry captain. You are a wonderful person with a good heart, but I must leave and find what I have lost. I cannot do that while I am on one ship.”

“I understand,” he nodded, “I will miss ye, lass. You be a great member.”

“Thank you.”

“But I ‘ave to warn ye. The next port is _very_ harsh.”

“I can handle it,” Kat rubbed her nose with the back of her hand and turned toward her cabin, “I’m going to start to pack. See to it that you punish Pidus harshly.”

“No problem there, Miss,” he followed her toward the cabins to find Pidus.

***

Kat felt bad about leaving the Silver Maiden and her Captain behind, but she has seen some men get out of worse jams than the barracks on a merchant ship. She couldn’t take another chance, especially with Pidus being as mad as he was. She was let off at a grungy looking port that seemed oddly familiar. She said good-bye to the captain and walked down the streets of the first port they came to.

Pirates were on every corner, most with a woman at their side. Those who didn’t have a woman on each arm called at her, and some even hounded her as she made her way through the streets. A small part of her told her to run, to hide from these men who would not leave her. She ignored it as she did the men. If they became too insistent, she knew how to handle herself accordingly.

She looked down the dirty streets trying to find something familiar when a flash of bright red caught her attention in a tavern. She lifted one eyebrow and walked over to the front of the establishment. As soon as she opened the door she knew where she was. And she knew what the bright red object that caught her attention was.

“I though’ ye were gone!” Tula screeched at Kat when she saw her walk through the tavern’s doors, “Or are ye back to ruin more ‘o me business?”

“I’m here for nothing of the sort,” Kat pushed past the gaudy dressed woman and took a seat by the far wall, “I’m here for something to eat and for some information.”

Tula took a seat across from her and folded her arms over her chest, “Wha’ information ye be needin’?”

“Jack’s location primarily,” Kat said leaning forward.

“Which Jack would tha’ be- oh… he left ye behind did he? And now ye wish te find him?” Tula asked with a baby voice, trying to mock her, “It is to laugh!”

“Don’t taunt me, Tula,” Kat warned trying to get the woman to stop her wretched laughing, “I’ve grown much accustomed to picking fights.”

“I can see tha' from the ugly mark on yer face,” she pointed at the still healing bruise from Timothy, “Are ye challengin' me?”

“If you take it as one, wretch!”

“Why ye-”

“Tula! Wha’ ye be doin’ fightin’ with a customer. I think ye best go to ye corner,” the waitress Darla came from the side of the tavern carrying yet another tray of rum in hand, “I'm tired of cleanin' up after ye in 'ere. Go find some poor dog te lay with.”

Tula glared, but then picked herself up and walked out of the tavern, her nose held high. As soon as she got outside she found a man to entertain and Kat knew she wouldn’t need to worry about her for a while.

“Why, hello Darla. It’s been a time since I’ve seen you,” Kat said with a smile that caught the waitress’s attention.

“’Ello there!” she sat down across from Kat, taking Tula’s seat and sat her tray to the side, “Wha’ ye be doin’ in a place like this without Jack?”

“That’s the problem. I’m trying to find him. Has he stopped by recently?”

“No, not tha’ I’ve seen or ‘eard. Last time I saw him he was with ye,” Darla eyed the kitchen seeing that her boss looking at her and warily got up, “Sorry lass.”

“Do you know where I can find a ship to get passage to another port?”

“Wha’ port ye be lookin’ to go to?”

“Where ever Jack may be,” Kat said looking at Darla, “I would much appreciate some insight if you have any.”

“Tha’ would be Tortuga, then,” Darla started to think hard, “There may be a good ship tha’ won’ try to take advantage of a sweet girl like ye.”

“They try and they lose at least a hand,” Kat said, “Where is the captain?”

“Over at table five,” Darla nodded her head over her shoulder at a half drunk gentleman sipping on rum, “He seems sweet.”

Suddenly the man starts yelling profanities at a passing pirate and calmed down again within a moment. Kat raised her eyebrow and stood up. Darla looked surprised at the man and then looked at Kat for a response.

“Aye, but don’ take me word fer it,” she gave a nervous smile.

“I trust your judgment,” Kat patted Darla on the back and lifted her bag on her shoulder. She smiled and made her way over to the man as Darla went to tell off the men fighting at the other end of the tavern.

Kat remembered the first time she came into the tavern and how disgusted she was by the men sitting at the tables. She now looked at them and understood where they were coming from. Even if they come from a drunken rage. The sea was harsh, and it was even worse when you didn’t have any company.

Before she reached the man at table five, two men stepped in front of her, blocking the way.

“Excuse me,” Kat said trying to step between them.

“Now wha’ a purdy thin’ we ‘ave ‘ere,” one of them said.

“I said move aside,” Kat placed her hands on her hips starting to get angry with the two pirates.

“Look at this, then! A woman be orderin’ ye ‘bout!” the other said, “Wha’ are ye goin’ to do love? Beat us?”

Kat’s eyes went a flame and she punched the pirate with a good right hook and brought him to the ground with a knife held to his throat. She noticed that he was knocked unconscious and got off the man. She put her small dagger-like knife back into her boot and looked down at him.

“I’m not your love,” Kat said with venom then looked at the other man, “Do you want to taste the blade for your friend here, or are you going to run?”

The man backed away and ran out the door. Kat smirked to herself and walked over to the man still whispering profanities and something about a dancing, rainbow monkey. Kat stepped by his side and dropped her bag to the side of her right leg.

“Captain, I would like passage to Tortuga on your ship,” Kat started, looking down at the man.

“Ye ‘ave it,” the man hiccuped.

Kat stood there perplexed on the fact that he let her have passage so quickly and without a mention a price, “When do we ship out?”

“As soon as I sober up,” he tilted in his seat.

Kat held him up in his seat and sat down next to him, “I’ll wait with you then.”

Darla soon came by and gave her some free meat on the house and a piece of good luck.

***

Jack leaned on the railing of his ship, watching the waves below him rock the ship in a soothing fashion. At least, the waves would have been soothing if he wasn’t in such a bad mood. A mood that took over as soon as woke up with a sore head and miles away from Kat. The crew noticed it and didn’t want to do anything to upset the Captain any more than he already was. Therefore they stuck to their duties and only bothered the captain when it was of the utmost importance.

The sun was near the surface of the water and Jack took a good, deep breath of the salt air. Nothing would help him to feel better than a good look at that far horizon and a new day approaching. Although, today- just like every other day since they left Port Royal- the rising sun gave no comfort. It gave no assurance of a new day and a new chance at life. All it brought were old memories and desires that could never be fulfilled.

Jack hit the railing of the Pearl with a closed fist and looked at the red and orange sun, “It ain’t the same anymore. It just ain’t the same.”

“Well, ‘o course it ain’t the same, Cap’n,” Jack turned around to see Anamaria approaching with a brown blanket draped over her arms.

“What’s that suppose to mean, Anamaria?” Jack asked turning his attention back to the sun and horizon.

“Ye know perfectly well wha’ I be talking ‘bout, Cap’n,” Anamaria stood next to him, “It ain’t the same because she ain’t ‘ere no more.”

“ _She_ has nothing to do with this,” Jack said harshly turning his head to the side away from Anamaria.

“Ye miss ‘er, jus’ as everyone else does on this ship,” she tried to get him to look at her, “Ye know I’m righ’.”

“No, you're wrong,” Jack looked at her, trying to keep a strong face, “It was better that she left. We can finally get back to business.”

“Wha’ business, Jack? We ‘aven’t been out on a good plunder since she was last with us. And ye know tha’ she was a great distraction while we did the collectin’.”

“She doesn’t deserve to live like that. She deserves a house- a mansion. With a warm fire every night, and nice rocking chair and time to raise her children.”

“She deserves to live the life she chooses, Jack!” Anamaria shouted, “Everyone agrees with me.”

“I don’t,” he dropped his head again, “She made her choice. It may just have been the right one.”

“Well, tha's a proper way to think 'bout it, isn't it? Now, where ‘as tha’ ended ye? Yer feeling hurt and sorry fer yerself, while she is probably endin’ up marryin’ some no good, two bit navy captain! She did it te save us. She made tha' choice willin'ly, yes, but ye and I both know tha's not what she _wanted_. How’s tha’ fair to ‘er Jack?”

“She’s safe,” Jack turned around and began to retreat to his cabin, “That's all there is to it.”

“Oh no ye don’!” Anamaria stepped between him and his cabin.

“Out of the way, Anamaria.”

“Not until ye say ye are wrong and agree to go back fer ‘er.”

“Tha’s an order,” Jack's voice rumbled and Anamaria had to step out of his way.

“Ye ‘ave to be the biggest coward of a pirate cap’n I ‘ave ever seen,” she mumbled.

“What?” Jack turned around and looked Anamaria in the eyes, “I am keeping to her word. I am making sure that her sacrifice is not in vain by keeping this crew away from her homicidal fiance. Now you say that _I_ am a coward.”

“Exactly,” Anamaria looked up at him, trying to stare him down, “Because ye won’ admit tha’ ye love ‘er as much as we all know ye really do. Ain’t tha’ righ’?”

“Don’t push me, Anamaria.”

“Don’ ye, _Cap’n?_ Answer me question.”

Jack struggled within himself and looked back at her after a few moments, “All right! You want to know the truth?”

“Tha’s wha’ I be tryin’ to drag out from ye.”

“I do love her. I love her more than anyone will ever know. But… it ain’t right!”

“Wha’ ain’t righ?”

“For a pirate to love! And to fall for a civilized woman, no less!”

“’Ave ye taken’ a look at Kat, recently?” Anamaria asked with a chuckle, “She chose her own path away from civilized ways. She be more of a pirate than I be at times. Ye can’t tell yer heart who to love. It jus’ ‘appens out of no where.”

“How do ye know?”

“I was in love once.”

“Than ye fell out of it!”

“But ye and Kat… tha’ can last,” Anamaria looked at the sun, “As sure as tha’ sun rises, Cap’n, she will love ye.”

“How do ye know?” he challenged.

“She told me,” Anamaria smiled and walked past him, “I jus’ wan’ ye two to be happy. And ye very well can’t be happy if ye are apart!”

Jack looked at his feet and didn’t say anything back. Anamaria looked at him from over her shoulder.

“So, where we be headin’?”

“I need to think,” Jack said holding his head in his hand and looking over the ocean to a bit of land in the far distance, “I think a stop in Tortuga is called for.”

“Tortuga it be then, Cap’n,” Anamaria went down the stairs near the deck and went down to her cabin to get ready for the day ahead.

Jack stayed out on the deck to watch the rest of the sunrise then made his way back to his cabin. He went over to his desk where he picked up a torn bandanna and placed it softly against his lips.

“I have a lot of thinking to do.”


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17:**

Kat was awoken with a hit in the shoulder with the heavy hand of the now sober captain. She fluttered her eyes open careful that none of the sunlight would blind her as her eyes adjusted. The captain gave her a smug look and nodded to the doorway of her small cabin. Kat nodded her head, slowly got up and gathered her bag that she used as a pillow the night before. It was bad enough that she had to sleep in a tiny room that wasn't even fit for a cabin boy, but she nothing to sleep on. Which meant she had to do with what she had.

The captain prodded at her again as her eyes began to slowly close and open as if she was going back to sleep. She ran her fingers through her hair a bit and waved at the captain's hand. He nodded down to her and left the small room without another word. Kat tried to braid her hair back and noticed that now that the captain was sober, he didn't talk much at all. He would mutter a few words and phrases, but other than that he kept his mouth shut. She rubbed her shoulders to get out any of the kinks that may have settled in during the night and slung her bag over her shoulder.

Outside most of the crew was already down the pier and Kat was grateful for that. They had no idea that she was even on the ship. The captain had agreed to keep her presence on the boat quiet in exchange for a few of the golden candle holders that Kat had 'borrowed' from Arthur Benikins for the journey. It was one of the only ways to pay for the passage. Just after they set sail, the captain finally sobered up and asked her why she was on his ship as he didn't remember giving her permission. She assumed he didn't remember much of anything with how much rum and grog was in his system. Even though she had to pay for the trip she rather liked the sober version of the captain in comparison to his drunken, 'rainbow monkey' raving self.

She gave the captain a wave of the hand as she disembarked, seeing that in fact Darla had a good judge of character when the captain gave her back one of the three candle holders she gave him in payment for her crossing. She smiled and thanked the man as she walked down the pier toward the harsh streets of Tortuga.

The port of Tortuga was just like the one before. The port's men followed every woman with interest, for they were in search of pleasurable company. Men followed Kat some even stepped in her way to ask how much. Kat looked at each and every one with disgust and just pushed them out of her way, saying that she was taken for the night. Thankfully, that was all that had to be said for the majority of the pirates as they moved on to the next pretty thing on two legs. Some needed a little more persuasion and Kat had to bring her new dagger from inside her boot. They would eventually back off soon after that.

Kat passed many corners and alleyways until she passed a very familiar corner and very familiar wall. She went over to the wall a discovered that there were still some scratch marks over the surface. Of course, what should she expect in a port like this, hardly anyone cleans up. She put her fingertips over the harsh surface and traced the paths that her fingernails had made so many months ago. She smirked to herself, unable to contain a small giggle that escaped from her lips. She remembered that night in vivid detail. She remembered how he came out of nowhere, grabbed her, ran like Hell and then took her aboard the Pearl after some persuasion on her part.

"I'll find you Jack," she whispered under her breath and turned from the wall and her memories to the streets, "No matter what it takes, I will find you."

* * *

Jack watched the other ships float silently in the harbor of Tortuga as his Pearl stood out above all the rest. He was always proud of that fact, but tonight he could have used a little something to bring down the extravagance that is the Pearl. He wanted to keep a low profile since he had yet again escaped from certain death. Even though Tortuga was a relatively safe port for pirates, there have been some circumstances where some authorities have caught a few pirates wanted in the Tortuga utopia.

Jack took a huge breath of air as he looked away from the land and toward the horizon heading toward back to Port Royal. His crew had gone to shore, including Anamaria, but Jack had decided to stay on board for just a while longer. Sure, he had said he needed to think, which usually meant he was set on a full night of his favorite beverage, but he had taken time to really stop- actually think and ponder over the situation.

He took off his hat and turned it over in his hands, then placed back on his head. He gave another sigh, took a walk on the main deck, checked various sails and then found himself standing at the helm of the ship. He looked to his side leaning a little on the solid wood in front of him.

' _Captain, are you so certain you know what you are doing_?'

A voice spoke out to him. It seemed so distant, so far away. It came from somewhere he couldn't reach, somewhere in his mind tucked securely away. He knew it was a memory of her. In one way he didn't want to think of her, but in another he could do nothing but do just that.

He bowed his head and gave a low chuckle to himself, "You know, I don't really know if I know what I am doing. You're probably still waiting for me aren't you?"

He looked up at the setting sun, "But it can't be. I can't go back for you. You made sure of that with your deal, didn't you?"

Tearing his eyes away from the sun, he thought over what he had just stated and something dug at him. It was another accord. Another agreement. No matter how airtight they were, there was always room to bust it wide open. She had done it before, she could do it again. He just had to figure out what that flaw was.

He told Anamaria that he couldn't fall in love with her. It wasn't done, it isn't what pirates do... It was already too late. He _was_ in love, he _did_ care, and he _did want_ to go back. He formed a fist with his hand and hit the dark wood of the banister. He closed his eyes shut and walked from the helm and off the ship.

It was time for his usual way of thinking and for a giant tankard that had his name on it.

* * *

Kat searched the busy town for any signs of Jack, the Black Pearl or of the crew. None of the crew members could be found in the sea of people walking on and off the soft sands of the beach, though she thought she heard Gibbs weaving another tale at the corner of a tavern and the screech of Cotton's parrot. It was always her imagination she noticed when she tried to take a closer look. She tried to get closer to the dock to see what ships had come in, but she couldn't get close enough as more men had poured from their ships and in toward the town. She had settled for a patch of sand that overlooked the Caribbean west of Tortuga. There were no ships docked, just sand and the waters that lapped at her boots.

It was dark and late enough for her not to stay out on her lonesome. She reluctantly got up from the soft sand, brushed off her backside and walked back toward the inner part of the port. The least she could do is check the taverns, and if that didn't show any results she could always check into an inn. She probably would be kept up all night, but it would be better than hiding in a small crawl space in another ship. Plus, she had the money- or at least pieces to barter with.

The many taverns she visited that night were much like the ones that she had been into with Jack. She even found the one that she ran into when she arrived in Tortuga the first time, scared and stressed and ready to be eaten alive. She didn't find the dashing, dark stranger in the back in the tri-corner hat as she did the first night she came to Tortuga, but she lingered a little just watching the memory replay in her mind. She sat down, actually took time to look around, see a few fights ensue, a few more tables being turned, grabbed a small drink and then left. She may not be partial to rum, but she had a hard time saying no to some good wine these days. And truth be told, some Tortuga taverns had some great quality wine.

After a few more looks into a few more taverns down the streets, Kat found a small inn that was better than what all the others seemed. She made her way into what had to be the lobby and went to the woman behind a large mahogany desk. Kat sat down her bag next to the long desk but made sure that it was fastened securely around her leg just so any passing by wouldn't be tempted. She didn't spend all that time with pirates and not learn a thing or two.

"Excuse me," Kat got the woman's attention, "I need a room for the night."

The woman was stout and a little too old to be in the same business as the other women outside. Her hair was turning gray and her eyes were magnified a little by her small glasses that kept slipping down her nose.

She cleared her throat and pushed the glasses up to the top of her nose, "Will any be joinin' ye? 'Cause if tha' be the case, we're out of rooms, missy."

"Thank ye Gretchen," a tall looking pirate came up to the counter with his arm over a smaller woman, both of which seemed at least half-drunk, "The room was great."

"No problem," the older woman took the keys as the pirate and his woman stumbled out of the lobby, "It looks as if we 'ave an openin'."

"Oh no," Kat said pushing the keys to the now unoccupied room back to the woman. She dug into her pockets that she had sewn into the pants while on her time on the Silver Maiden and pulled out a few shillings, "It will just be me. I just need to find a place to sleep."

"Ah, in tha' case, we 'ave plenty 'o rooms," the woman jumped out from behind the counter picked up another key and led the way down a tight hall, "Follow me."

Kat followed her to a small, yet comfortable room that held a canopy bed and still had enough room for a dresser and a small partition at the side, "This will be just fine, thank you."

Kat handed the woman the shillings and she smiled, "Ye know, ye gave me too much."

"No matter, you keep the change, I won't be needing it for much longer."

"Thank ye, lass," the woman was about to shut the door as Kat stared out the window, but then stopped short, "Ye know…"

Kat looked away from the window with a bit of confusion on her face as the woman continued, "With this extra, ye are fine to bring another in if ye like."

Kat smirked at the woman because she caught her drift, "Thank you for the offer, but I don't think that I will find the man I'm looking for tonight."

"Well, ye possibly will tomorrow, aye?"

"Possibly," Kat whispered as the woman closed the door, leaving the key on the small side table.

Kat put a few of her items next to her bedside, thinking that they may bring some comfort in the night. She smiled when she pulled out the wanted poster of Jack and the handkerchief wrapped soaps. She had a more than a hunch that the partition at the side of the room held a bath behind it. At least she was hoping that was the case. After unloading the items that she wanted out she fell onto her bed and closed her eyes for a few moments. Even if she tried she couldn't fall asleep, although God knew that her body needed it. The few nights that she spent on the other ship in that tight confinement called a room didn't let her find anything near to sleep.

She rolled onto her side and stared at the partition a little longer before her curiosity got the better of her. She stood up, secured her door and looked around the material to see a small tin tub with water to the side.

"Thank the Lord, God All mighty," she whispered and turned to grab her soaps. She picked the largest one and some dry clothes as she would be using her others as a towel more than likely. She stripped herself down and climbed into the clean water where she began to lather.

After a quick bath and a change into some clean clothes, she braided her hair again off to the side and looked out the window. Tortuga was swarming with people and she couldn't keep track of the number as each person raced to and fro. Pirates chased women and wenches chased pirates. It was one big cat and mouse game in the streets below. She turned from the window, slid herself down the wall to the side and sat on the floor to look at the ceiling in thought.

"How in Heaven's Name am I going to find him in that?" she asked no one in particular. She slid her eyes closed and took a deep breath to center herself.

"Jack, is tha' ye?!"

Kat popped her eyes open as she heard a woman from down below squeal with excitement. Her breathing began to increase and she fumbled to find her footing as she scurried back to the window. Down below she saw a scantily dressed woman with red hair running over to a crowd of people at the corner of the street below. Kat followed the woman's pathway with her eyes, frantically scanning the street below. The woman in the red dress pulled at a sleeve and eventually plucked the man from the group heading into the tavern across the way.

Suddenly, there he was. Captain Jack Sparrow, in the flesh, stood in the street with this rather loud woman hung on his arm.

He looked rather uncomfortable and looked up and down the street for any help he may find. His expression reminded Kat of the night he tried to get away from Tula.

"That poor fool," she chuckled, pushed herself away from the window, grabbed the keys to her room and ran toward the entrance to the inn as fast as her legs could carry her. She wasn't going to lose him now, not when she is so close.

Meanwhile, outside Jack was trying his hardest to calm down two ladies who were now in front of him instead of just the one.

"Scarlet," he motioned to one and then to the other, "Giselle, I think you ladies have the wrong impression as to why I am here."

"I know we were bad ladies when we saw ye last time those years ago," Scarlet pulled playfully on his goatee and battered her eyes at him, "But we're better behaved and get along real well."

"Tha's right," Giselle giggled and leaned up against Jack, "Ye don' 'ave to pick between us or anything."

"As enticing as all that sounds, I have to decline, ladies," Jack stepped out to his side where there was no woman blocking his exit. Both ladies pouted and crossed their arms over their chests. Jack put up his hands in defense, "Sorry, but I'm taken at the moment."

"Taken?!" Giselle began to giggle behind her hand as if it was an inside joke.

"By who?" Scarlet huffed as if she didn't believe him.

"By me."

The two ladies looked behind Jack with confusion clear on their faces. Jack, on the other hand, froze in his spot and didn't dare turn around. That voice could not be who it sounded like. It must be his mind playing those horrible tricks yet again. He furrowed his brows, took a breath for courage and turned around in a swift, smooth movement. There in the middle of the street- not three feet from him- was Kat. Her hair was wet and braided to one side, her clothes were simple, but very much Kat. She smiled at him and held out her arms in a useless gesture as if to simply say 'I'm here'.

"Who are you?" Scarlet asked and walked around her in a circle as if she was prey or meek. Kat wanted to laugh at her. She reminded her of a less colorful Tula.

"Call me Kat," she answered and stepped away from Scarlet's circling.

"How do you know Jack?" Giselle asked and leaned over his shoulder from behind.

"I sailed under his command and learned quite a few things," she shrugged, gently took Giselle off of Jack and then eyed both girls, "Like lines and rigging and how to defend myself with a blade."

Both women looked at one another and Giselle turned unconcerned, "Well then, who are we te argue. Not worth it in my book."

"I already see better prospects anyhow," the other said and ran to some men cat calling out to them.

"Ironic they say you're not worth the trouble," Kat dusted her hands as if casting off the last of the two women away. She turned back to Jack, "They didn't even give me a proper figh-"

Jack rushed up and grabbed her quickly to bring her into a heated kiss. He pulled her to him by her waist and her hair where his second hand was now entangled. She was surprised, but not unprepared. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss in equal enthusiasm. She smiled and breathed against his mouth, unable to quell her rapid heartbeat or invigoration in finding him. His hand around her waist tightened to make sure she had nowhere to go and the hand in her hair only undid the lovely braid she had put it in. It was now a mess... and she couldn't be happier. She pressed kisses to his lips and then pulled away from him for a moment to look at him.

She pulled her arms from around his neck and held his face in her hands. She looked in his eyes and traced his cheeks and lips with her fingers, "I found you."

He smiled himself and cupped one of her cheeks in his hand that slipped from her hair. His thumb, light on her skin caressed the last marking from the bruise she had received from her ex-fiance. It was an ugly green mixed with yellow and marred her beautiful face. He already knew that she received it from one of two men. If given the chance he would kill them both. One for doing it and the other for allowing it to happen.

"It's over," she told him and leaned into his hand once she found him examining the last of the bruise.

Jack leaned forward and kissed the cheek lightly just in case there was still any sensitivity or pain.

She watched him take such great care with her as if she was going to disappear on him. With a soft laugh she put a finger under his chin and moved his face to look at her eye to eye once more, "Are you going to say anything?"

"I don't want to chance waking up," he said simply and hugged her tight to him. After he felt her arms wrap around him to return the embrace he noticed more than a few men and women watching them. He cleared his throat and then pushed Kat toward the side of the street. When she looked at him with a question in her eyes he leaned toward her to whisper, "May need to get out of the eye of the public, luv."

_Luv._

That never sounded better.

"I have a room, follow me," she grabbed his hand and walked him through the inn doors and up the stairs, past the obvious stares from Gretchen at the front desk. She opened the door without much trouble and walked straight into her room, not bothering to close the door behind her as Jack stood in the doorway. She began to pack her small bag once again, throwing her dirty clothes, wanted poster and wrapped soaps haphazardly into the bag, not caring how it was packed for once.

"What are you doing?" he asked from the doorway.

"I am getting my things together so I can take it to the Pearl," she answered, tied the bag closed and tossed it on the bed to show him the finished product, "What do you think?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest with you," he stepped into the room, closed the door behind him and then leaned back against it, "I was thinking that you have a room. All to your lonesome. I could help fill that room and absolve some of said loneliness."

"Ah, I see," she smirked and took a couple of steps toward him with her hands on her hips, "You are a true gentleman, Jack Sparrow."

"Nothing but, m'lady," he bowed playfully toward her.

"I do have a thought, though," she pointed one finger and it caught his attention. She tapped it on her lips and took a couple of steps back toward the bed and turned from him, "This lonely room of mine is only on loan- which sad to say means that there is a time limit. Onboard a ship, on the other hand, the room goes with it. No limitations."

There were suddenly two arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her back into his chest. His lips were right at her ear so he could whisper, "Have I told you how much I missed you and your pearls of wisdom?"

"No, but you could always remind me," she looked over her shoulder at him, "So what will it be, Captain?"

"Grab your things," he said quickly and nipped her shoulder with his teeth, "The Pearl awaits."

Kat nearly squealed in excitement, grabbed her bag and let Jack lead her out of the room. She really missed the Pearl and was ecstatic to be heading back on board. She tossed the key back to Gretchen and thanked her for her short stay- even walked out with no talk of taking any money back. After all she had no use of it anymore.

Jack led her back to the Pearl without the majority of his crew being the wiser. For the most part, it looked like most of them were still out in Tortuga enjoying themselves. Only one or two members were on the deck and kept an eye out for anything off. Jack and Kat went straight for his cabin and Jack waved at the two crew members to let them know they both would explain in the morning.

Kat tossed her bag to the side of the door and stretched her arms above her head, "The feeling of home never felt better."

Jack closed and locked the doors behind him. He took a long look at Kat as she touched the craftsmanship of the Pearl and the wooden etchings around the windows. She was probably the only one who appreciated his ship as much as he did. He took off his jacket and hat, tossed them over her bag and came up behind her to wrap her in his arms again.

"I have questions," he said and pulled her tighter, "How did you get away? What was the loophole? How'd you find me?"

"Questions are fine and everything," she paused and turned around in his arms. She walked him backwards until his legs hit his bed and he fell back. With his arms still around her waist, he pulled her down with him. With a large smile plastered on her face, she kissed him a few times before she continued, "... but you can ask them in the morning."

"In the morning?" he asked and looked up at her, her hair becoming a wavy curtain that fell to one side blocking the moonlight.

Kat nodded with a coy smile and kissed along his jaw and chin, "All the questions you want."

"What are we doing in the meantime?" he asked in a bit of a daze.

She came back up to his lips and kissed them until he was sure they would both have bruised lips. She looked him in the eye, "I was thinking you could show me a night to remember... we never really got to finish the one from before."

"We didn't, did we?" he chuckled and quickly turned the tables and pinned her under him, "No kicking me out of bed this time?"

"I don't think that will be a problem, because you are going nowhere on my watch," Kat smiled and pulled him down to kiss her again.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

Kat squeezed her eyes tight as the sun rise filtered through the windows at the far end of the cabin. Her natural clock told her that she was supposed to be up before now and prodded at her to get out of bed. She pushed her face further into the soft pillow beneath her head and let out a small moan of protest. She took a deep breath and felt pressure across her back and shoulder. She opened her eyes a little and looked across her pillow which happened to be someone's chest.

Her head tilted up just slightly and she smiled to herself. His other hand laid across his stomach and she intertwined her fingers with his. She noticed last night that he had her old, torn bandanna tied around his wrist. A reminder that no longer had to be one. Her eyes still felt heavy and she pushed her head under his chin as if to get closer. He groaned and hugged her tighter to him as he took a deep inhale of breath.

“Mornin’ luv,” Jack yawned and looked down at the top of her head. He placed a few kisses to the crown of her head and let out a contented breath.

“Good morning, Jack,” Kat said back and pulled away just enough to crawl up the bed to lay beside him instead of on him, effectively trapping his arm under her shoulders.

“It's barely sunrise,” he mumbled and pried one eye open to look over at her, “It's a day off.”

“Believe me when I say that I don't plan on getting out of this bed anytime soon,” she giggled and looked to her side, now being at the same height as him in the bed.

“Good, because I won't be letting you out of this bed anytime soon,” he kissed her swiftly and then rolled over to begin kissing her neck where he left a couple of bruises of his own from the night before, “And it pains me greatly to think that we will be spending some of that time talking.”

“Pains you greatly?” she playfully hit him on his shoulder.

“Don't get me wrong, I love talking with you, but... I have found a new favorite past time we can do together,” he hummed against her skin.

Her eyes fluttered closed from the attention on her neck, but she again hit him on the shoulder, “If you keep heading down the road you're on, Jack, you won't get the answers to any questions you may have.”

“I hate your rational side,” he mumbled and leaned back to his side of the bed where he looked down at her, “First question. How did you get out of that accord you made with the dear captain?”

“He was the one that broke the accord, actually.”

“How's that? He seemed like he was ready to marry you,” Jack growled and laid back down on his side of the bed.

Kat put her head back on Jack's shoulder and looked up at the ceiling, “Over a year ago, when my- when Arthur began to look for suitable matches for me, Timothy approached me and gave me a letter. In it, he proposed and laid out what marriage would be like to him.”

“All children and poise, I expect?” Jack asked with a grumble.

“Don't get grouchy,” she poked at him in the ribs, “I was a nice gesture, but I wasn't interested. I kept it in my hope chest though. Timothy would have been a good match eventually- if I hadn't fallen in love with a dashing pirate captain.”

“He was your back up plan?” Jack chuckled, “You wouldn't have been happy.”

“No, but a bit happ _ier_ , I suppose,” Kat took a breath and shook her head, “Anyway, it doesn't matter. The point is I accepted the proposal that was given to me in that letter. He, on the other hand, had other plans on what marriage was really to be like.”

“How's that?”

“He promised me an equal partnership in decisions and children. He promised I wouldn't want for anything- that he would do anything and everything to make me happy,” she huffed as she thought back to the visit, “The day before the wedding he came to Harriet's home in search of me and we talked. He set new rules. I would have no say, no freedoms. We would have up to six children. Of course, this is not what I agreed to. He took that as an insult and gave me an early wedding gift.”

“You know the next time I see that man, I will kill him,” Jack growled and kissed the back of her hand as if to make it a promise as he looked at the last bit of marred skin along her cheek, “What did your papa say about it?”

“That next time I had to make sure that he didn't hit my face,” Kat deadpanned and looked away from Jack for a quick moment. As much as she has come to hate the man she once called father, it still hurt.

“That's two men I now need to send to see Davy Jones.”

“Don't bother, they aren't worth it,” she shook her head, “If they come after me- and it is an 'if'- that's when there will be bloodshed.”

Jack felt her body stiffen just a bit at the thought of having to kill anyone. He again kissed the back of her hand and decided to continue the questions so she wouldn't have to dwell on the thought, “How did you get out of there in one piece, I wonder?”

I left the night he hit me and I found the proposal letter. Robert sneaked me out to a merchant ship. Used Dena's name instead of my own on the records and dressed as a servant. The captain of the ship and the others found out my real name after we left port. Dena took my place and made it look like I was still there. She even walked down the aisle for me.”

“She didn't have to marry the blighter, did she?”

“Of course not!” she hit him in the chest, “I would never do that to Dena. But by the time they would find out it wasn't me, I was long gone. I gave him a letter of my own and had Dena deliver it. Harriet kept the original proposal, just to back up my word.”

“Smart girl,” he smirked and wrapped her back up in his arms, “How'd you find me?”

“That was a bit harder than I thought it would be,” she admitted and leaned into his chest, “I sailed on a merchant's ship out of Port Royal. Then jumped to a pirate ship to come here. I asked around and someone thought Tortuga would be the best place to look.”

“Someone?”

“Darla sends her love,” she murmured and kissed him under his chin.

“She's getting an extra tip when we see her next,” Jack turned to the window like he had caught something from the corner of his eye. He shook it off and looked at her in a bit of awe, “So you impersonated the help, scurried your way onto a merchant ship under false pretenses, snagged a transport on a pirate ship all to make it here to me?”

“Sounds about right,” Kat nodded.

“I think you tried too hard,” he chuckled, “I am not worth it.”

“You bloody well are!” she yelled at him and made him laugh louder, “You're the Captain of the Black Pearl!”

He hugged her tighter as his laughter grew louder, “That I am.”

She calmed a bit and laughed softly with him, “What time should the crew be back? The sun is up now and morning passes by so quickly.”

“They'll be back toward the afternoon, I figure,” he began to kiss down her neck again and lightly grazed the marks he left, “Gibbs needed supplies and they would grab what they could before they came back on board. Which means-”

Jack grabbed her hips, pulled her lower on the bed which made her squeak with surprise and leaned over her, “-we have _hours_ before anyone comes back on board from town.”

“Hours?” she quirked an eyebrow, “Whatever shall we do with ourselves and all that time?”

“You have become a teasing minx, you have,” he kissed her lips and then her jaw as her hands began to lightly run over his arms and chest, “You would dodge my advances at first.”

“As any proper lady would,” she defended herself and then pushed him back, “But I am a pirate, sir. I don't have to hold back any reservations. I have the freedom that was once denied me. I intend to make full use of it.”

“You're a pirate now, aye?”

“Charged with piracy and on the run from the proper authorities,” she bit her lip as he leaned toward her.

“And you're going to spend that newfound freedom on me?” he asked and lowered his body to be flush with hers.

“Completely and willingly,” she nodded and leaned up to kiss him.

“How long are you going to stay with me?” he asked against her lips.

“You're not getting rid of me,” she laughed and pecked his lips a few times, “No matter what. You are stuck with me now, Jack.”

“There are much worse fates,” he leaned down from another kiss when there was a pounding knock at his door.

“So much for hours,” Kat sighed and leaned back into the bed.

“Hold those thoughts,” he put a finger up as if to pause the moment. He waved his hands over her as if to tell her to stay exactly where and how she was. He rolled out from under the covers and grabbed his trousers that had been thrown to the ground early the night before. He quickly wound his belt over them and forgone the shirt to expedite the crew member leaving.

The pounding continued and Kat threw on the nearest shirt to make sure she didn't give someone other than Jack an eye full. Her next task was to find a pair of her pants if circumstances dictated that they would have to be out on the deck. Jack frowned at the door and yelled out, “Aye! A moment!”

He looked back at Kat who had covered her top half with his shirt and now was shimmying into a pair of her sized trousers. He nodded with slight regret at the moment lost and opened the door to find Gibbs on the other side. Jack leaned on the door frame and saw how ashamed Gibbs looked.

“Aye, Gibbs,” Jack sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, “What's the emergency?”

“I'm sorry to interrupt, Cap'n, but we've been boarded, sir,” Gibbs grimaced and was pushed into the cabin with a pistol in his back. He looked annoyed at the man behind him, but didn't give him any fight just yet.

“Well, doesn't this look cozy?” Belstrude walked into the cabin after Gibbs and closed the door. He kept the pistol in Gibb's back as he looked around the cabin and saw the state of undress of Jack and Kat, “Was I interrupting something?”

“Timothy,” Kat growled. Jack grabbed his cutlass that was at his feet as Kat grabbed his pistol. They both pointed their weapons at the naval captain.

“You two forget that I am the one with the hostage,” he poked at Gibbs again and clicked back the hammer of his pistol. He chuckled as they both wavered a bit with their weapons and then began to laugh, “I am sorry, I meant to say hostage _s_.”

“What?” Kat asked and squinted her eyes.

“Your whole crew is rounded up once again and is waiting in the brig for their fearless captain,” Belstrude reported and turned back to Gibbs, “All save for the first mate. I was trying to figure out who you would trust enough to open your door to. Who better, hm?”

“Gibbs, you alright?” Jack asked with his eyes still totally focused on Belstrude.

“Aye, Cap'n,” Gibbs nodded, “The crew is in bad shape. They were already full of grog or rum when these... _men_ came into Tortuga for us.”

“You didn't give them a fighting chance,” Kat muttered and shook her head, “You are not an honorable man, Timothy Belstrude. You never were.”

“You should be one to talk of honor, Katerina,” he barked at her, “You humiliated me in front of all of Port Royal.”

“You did that to yourself,” she answered, “I promised that I would marry you according to your proposal. What you told me of our life together the night before was not what I agreed to. The terms were broken. So was the accord. I was free to go.”

“You are mine, _that_ was the agreement,” he growled through his teeth, “Now here you are no more than a whore to a pirate.”

Jack stood between him and Kat, “I would watch what you say about my girl, aye?”

“You took her from me,” Belstrude nearly spat in Jack's face, still using Gibbs as a shield, “And now I will take care of you for it. You poisoned her mind and now you will pay dearly for it.”

“I don’t think she was ever yours to begin with, mate.”

“She was always mine!” Belstrude yelled and stomped his foot like an angry child, “Ever since I first saw her, she was mine!”

“I am not a thing to be claimed!” she yelled back and got his attention back on her, “What are you doing here? What do you want?”

“What do you think?” he chuckled almost manically, “I am here to retrieve you, take you back where you belong and eliminate the pirate scum who tried to kidnap you.”

“Will you ever understand?” she asked with a shake of her head, “I am where I belong.”

“And I am not going to just let you walk out of here with her,” Jack warned him and twisted his sword toward him, “I lost her once, mate. I won't be doing it again.”

“You would give up your crew to keep her, Captain?” he asked and put the pistol to Gibbs' head.

“Their lives are not mine to give,” Jack frowned at the pistol, “But I would bet mine.”

“Jack!” Kat put down the pistol and shook her head at him, “You cannot give up on me.”

“Not saying that, luv,” he smiled back at her and then looked at the man in front of them, “I'm saying that we handle this like real gentlemen.”

“Are you suggesting a duel, pirate?”

“I'm suggesting a fight to the death,” Jack titled his head, “Think about it. You win you could be rid of me, my crew go on their merry way and-”

“Katerina will be mine.”

“Kat is her own,” Jack snapped and looked at the man, “She will go where she wishes. If that be with you, then that's her choice.”

“I will make it so,” Belstrude nodded, “I agree, pirate. Blades or pistols?”

“I always favored my cutlass if you are letting me choose.”

“Then blades it is,” he began to back out of the cabin with Gibbs still in his grasp. Jack began to follow them out with Kat right behind him. He grabbed another shirt from nearby and tossed it on.

“Ye thinkin' this is a wise move, Cap'n?” Gibbs asked as they stepped out the door, “Challenging a crazy man to a match to the death?”

“It's one crazy man challenging another, I don't see the confusion,” Jack answered and stepped out on the deck.

Belstrude released Gibbs once they were out on the deck and surrounded by his men. Kat helped her friend up from the deck and to his feet. Gibbs nodded and looked between Belstrude and Jack. He still didn't think that it was a good idea.

Jack looked between the two of them and shook his head, “It's how it's done. You know this. By the code.”

“Aye, the code,” Gibbs nodded.

“And what am I to do should he kill you?” Kat asked and chanced a glance at Belstrude waiting by the Mainmast, “Shall I wait here and do nothing when your life is at stake?”

“So little faith?” he asked and acted hurt.

“I just don't trust him to fight honest,” she sighed and looked up at him, worry fresh on her brow.

“Then I guess I will have to fight like a pirate, aye?” he tipped her head up and gave her a light kiss.

“Pirate! I am waiting!” Belstrude yelled from his place.

Jack took a deep breath and turned from Kat. She held on to one of his hands as if to stop him from going. He only flashed her a smile and walked out of her grip. Gibbs stood beside her and held her shoulder.

“Ye shouldn't be worried,” he said in a whisper to her.

“Why not?” she frowned.

“He isn't,” Gibbs watched Jack approach Belstrude with cutlass firm in hand.

“How are we to do this pirate?” Belstrude asked and pulled out his sword, “By the normal rules of engagement?”

“I always like the 'let the best man win' approach,” Jack shrugged.

“So be it,” Belstrude jumped forward with his blade.

Jack deflected the sword to his side and stepped forward with a swing of his own. Belstrude dodged it with a lunge to the side. The company of men Belstrude brought with him cheered on their captain. Kat watched the duel closely to find any weak points in the captain's fighting style as Jack had done to her many times before. It looked like he followed everything that his instructors taught him at the fort, which meant that he did have a weak exploitation. She knew the instructor well enough to know he always left his left side open.

“Jack! He is weak on his left side!” Kat shouted and Jack smirked as she saw that he already knew.

“Katerina! Shut your mouth!” Belstrude yelled at her and took another hard swing at Jack who clashed swords with him. Jack leaned toward Belstrude and in a fluid movement managed to toss him back a few paces.

“I will not allow this insubordination!” Belstrude yelled and looked between Kat and Jack. He suddenly took a flying run toward Kat and Gibbs instead of Jack, “You became his whore! You were going to be mine!”

Some of his men yelled in repulsion at his action and a few even moved forward as if they were going to try and stop him if not held back by their comrades. Kat watched as Belstrude lifted his sword over his head and she took the opening that she saw. She punched him in the eye as he left his full front open. The hit threw him to the ground and his sword fell to the ground next to him.

“Nice hit,” Jack said as he looked at the captain and then at Kat.

“Thank you,” she shook out her hand as it would be sore, she was sure, “Consider it returning a gift.”

Jack picked up Belstrude's sword and walked over to his side. He pointed the sword down at Belstrude's neck and watched as fear took over the captain's face, “I told you to watch how you talk about my girl. She's no whore. She never was and never will be yours, savvy?”

Belstrude watched the tip of his own sword disappear under his chin and his breath hitched in fear, “I surrender.”

“I'm sorry, what was that?” Jack asked and tilted his head to the side, “I didn't quite hear that.”

“I surrender,” He said louder.

“Oh, that's what I thought you said,” Jack nodded and stepped back from the fallen captain, “So now, I am going to spare your life because Kat said it best when she told me you weren't worth it. Of which I agree fully.”

Jack stabbed Belstrude's sword into the deck of the Pearl and began to walk from it, “You will take your men, get off my ship and return to Port Royal without Kat. You will leave us alone as was the deal.”

“I don't make deals with pirates!” Belstrude jumped to his feet and grabbed his sword from the deck.

“Jack!” Kat screamed and was held back by Gibbs.

Jack turned around and caught Belstrude in the stomach with his cutlass. He looked into the eyes of the now dying man and his jaw clenched, “Thought you may go for your sword. It's not right to stab a man in the back.”

“You...” Belstrude made his last attempt to get at Jack, but his eyes went over his shoulder and caught Kat. She stood and watched as his life drained from him. She felt no pity, no mercy on him. His body fell limp against Jack and his breathing became ragged as his sword fell from his hand.

Jack pushed the man off of his cutlass and turned from him. He went straight for Kat who threw her arms around his neck. After a few seconds she stood back to check for any injures she may have missed him receiving. She saw the blood on his arm, a small cut that was not too deep. She grabbed something from Gibbs and wrapped his arm tight to make sure the bleeding would stop. She finished the tie on the bandage and hugged him around his middle. He let out a breath into her hair and held her to him in return.

Belstrude was barely breathing when he looked up to find Katerina again. The last thing that he saw was the woman that he wanted more than anything in the world being held by the man who murdered him.

Jack saw the man take his last breath and then looked around his deck where he eyed the many men in uniform. They were not leaving and that was a bit disconcerting. He gave Kat a little shake and then nodded to the other men when she looked up, “They aren't leaving.”

“The rest of the crew is still in the brig, Cap'n,” Gibbs reminded him as he also assessed the situation.

“That was a wonderful fight you put on, Sparrow,” a voice carried down from the top deck followed by some slow clapping.

All heads turned to the stairwell where Arthur Benikins walked down from the helm. Jack pushed Kat behind him and toward Gibbs should the situation turn worse. He looked the man over since it was the first time he was actually able to. The man never saw him before his execution day and he was in the middle of escaping most of that. He had his gray wig on, his suit pressed and all buttons and buckles shined. Exactly the cold exterior that Jack had imagined.

“Arthur Benikins I assume,” Jack nodded to the man.

“That I am,” he took a look over Jack and then eyed Kat, “Katerina, you've caused enough trouble. Time to go back.”

“To what?” Kat sneered, “You had me charged for piracy, remember? You'll hang me.”

“Only if you don't comply,” he said through gritted teeth, already annoyed, “I have other plans that will have to move on ahead now that Captain Belstrude is dead.”

“She's not going,” Jack said simply with a smile as if he had mentioned the weather.

“Says who?”

“Says I,” he held up his cutlass again before Benikins got too close, “She stays.”


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19:**

"Mister Sparrow-"

"Captain!" Kat interrupted and took Jack's hand in hers to stand with him against her father, "That's _Captain_ Jack Sparrow."

"Captain Sparrow," Benikins corrected himself and motioned to the men all around them, "You are out numbered here."

"I won the duel with the captain," Jack looked the closest man in the eyes, "It was agreed he would let my crew go and his men would leave Tortuga."

"I have no knowledge of that agreement and I now have command of these men."

"You are no military man," Kat argued and watched as Benikins paced in front of them, careful of Jack's sword, "You never served under any man. You can't be in charge just because you say it is so."

Benikins scoffed with a smile and looked at the Lieutenant, "Care to explain, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, sir!" the man saluted him and looked at Kat, "The Captain and his superiors have put Mister Benikins in complete authority if anything should happen to Captain Belstrude."

"How did you pull those strings?" Kat asked and narrowed her eyes at the man, "I wonder who you had to put on the chopping block or butter up for that to stick."

"Men, how about you take these pirates down to see their crew mates," Benikins drawled, "But escort my daughter back into the cabin. I believe that a talk is in order."

Jack stood in front of her to head the men off, but she put a soft hand at his back. She shook her head when he looked back at her, "It's okay, Jack. It's about time that he and I had an actual talk."

"Be careful and don't let him take you off the ship," he reminded her with a kiss to her temple.

"You stay alive. Don't do anything _incredibly_ stupid," she nodded and turned to Gibbs as they passed her, "Keep him in one piece for me, huh?"

"Always do. Why do ye think he's lasted this long?" Gibbs nodded with a smirk and followed Jack.

"Miss?" the Lieutenant led her back into the cabin where her father looked over the room with disgust. As he pushed her into the room, she turned to let him have a piece of her mind, but was surprised. There, staring back at her was not a hardened military man. It was a man with a face of compassion and regret. Kat was confused and watched the man close the door so she would face her father alone.

"Well, so much for promoting a _pure_ woman," Benikins turned from the bed and walked to the windows with his hands behind his back.

Kat didn't say anything about his comment and stood in the middle of the room, her hands at her side- balled into fists.

"What? No sharp remarks?" he asked and turned back to her, "No sarcastic quips?"

"What do you want me to say?" Kat muttered and looked right at him, "That Jack and I confessed our feelings last night?"

"Confessed?" he barked a laugh and held a hand to his chest as if he was going to laugh harder, "That is an interesting word choice."

"Would you like any others?" she asked with a raise of her eyebrows, "Made love any better?"

"That is not love!" he pointed to the bed and stomped toward her- his laughter now gone.

"What would you know of love?!" she roared back and leaned toward him.

"More than you would ever know or understand," he growled and made a look that drilled into her eyes. Before Kat had met Jack and sailed on the ocean, she would have backed down. She would have crumbled under his gaze and promised herself that it would be better next time. Promised herself that she would _do_ better next time and he wouldn't have to give her that look again. Next time always brought the same result. The same disappointment. That Kat would be running away again. Not now- not anymore.

"I don't believe you," she shook her head and she felt emotions build in her. She expected sadness, but that was far from what came to the forefront of her mind. She had rage and hurt. Not just sadness- it was pain. She always believed her mother when she said how happy and amazed she was to be in love with her father and that he loved her back. Cecilia talked of long walks and talks of the future and the children that would grace their lives. This man that stood before her was not that man that her mother fell in love with. She took a deep breath and touched her locket which still hung from her neck. She asked for her mother's forgiveness and her strength, "You are a monster."

"At least I am not the monster who killed the woman I loved," he retorted and stepped away from her with a deep growl in his chest. He closed his eyes and tried to reign in his temper. He fumed and then looked back at her unable to keep his composure, "You may look like her. You may sound like her. But you... you are the devil that wears my Cecilia's face. You are the thing that reminded me that she is gone far too soon from my side. You should have burned in those flames. Not her. And not my boys."

"Your boys," she whispered and shook her head, "I loved my brothers without fail. I miss them everyday. I hear their voices every night in my dreams. I hear mother's songs carried on the winds from the seas. You aren't the only one who lost something. I didn't _take_ anything from you. All I had ever asked for was your compassion and love. Compassion and love for a daughter that was hurting just as bad if not worse than you."

"I have no daughter," Benikins took a deep breath and then walked to the doors, "I am going to have a talk with your pirate. You will stay here. Don't worry though. When I kill him, you _will_ be watching."

He slammed the door behind himself and two soldiers stood on either side to guard her exit.

She closed her eyes and collapsed to the floor where she screamed out in frustration and rage. Her sadness and pain replaced with rage and fear as the man that stole her childhood planned to kill her future.

* * *

The brig was dirty and cold, but at least the holes that Jack had remembered from last time were plugged and repaired. He scratched at his head to think of a way out. As much as he has been down in his own brig thanks to the actions of Barbossa, he still didn't have a good idea on how to escape it. He made sure that no one would be able to should he need to have use of locking someone up. Hendry was a genius when he put his mind to it and he spent days perfecting the brig after coming back on board the Pearl.

"So, now wha', Cap'n?" Gibbs asked from across the way in the other cell with the rest of the crew.

"The situation looks grim, gentleman, I will not lie," Jack laid it out for them and stood to lean against the bars toward his crew, "Our ship is taken by His Majesty's best and we've been put in our own brig. Kat's papa is in charge and is aiming for my head. If not all of ours."

"That does sound like a dire situation doesn't it?" a deep voice came from the bottom of the stairs, "I wonder what will happen next?"

"Where is she?" Jack asked and looked behind the man expecting him to bring her down with him.

"She's up in the cabin where you violated her to think over a few things," he chuckled briefly to himself, "For the moment, she is safe. I would worry more about my own life if I were you."

"Funny, I was about to say the same to you," Jack frowned.

"Oh? I am not the one behind bars."

"What I have planned for you, I don't need any bars or holdings," Jack leaned toward the man though his cage prevented him from going any further.

"Tell me the truth, _pirate_ ," Benikins stepped up to the bars throwing out the word pirate like it was filth, "Do you _really_ _ **love**_ my daughter?"

He stood eye to eye with Benikins and gave him the most serious look he had in him, "Aye, I do."

"How much so?" he crossed his arms in front of his chest, unable to comprehend the pirate before him. Many pirates would drop the girl without a second thought if it meant their life. He held out his hand to the man at his side and the soldier gave over his pistol. He pulled back the hammer and aimed it at Jack's head, "Tell the truth. Just don't give me the answer I don't want to hear."

"Cap'n!" Anamaria hissed at him and the crew crowded against the bars.

Jack shushed her and burned a look into Benikins' eyes. His body didn't move an inch as he stood before certain death, "I would do anything for her. I love her with everything in me being, savvy?"

"I understand," Benikins said taking a few steps back from him and pulled the gun away from him to hand it back to the soldier, "That's good news for me."

"How's that?" Jack asked a little unsure of what would happen next.

"The more you two love one another like you say, the worse it's going to be when I separate you two," he smiled and shook his head in amazement, "She will finally understand pain. She will live with it for all her days."

"You touch her and you're a dead man!" Jack hissed holding on to the bars on each side of him.

"We'll just see, Mr. Sparrow," Benikin's smiled and headed up the stairs back toward the captain's quarters seemingly happy with the information.

"That be _Captain_ Jack Sparrow!" he called after him.

"Now wha', Cap'n?" Lejon asked now fearful for his life and the life of a fellow crew mate.

"We wait," Jack eyed the guard nearby and then looked over at Hendry, "Kat will find a way. I have faith in her. We will just have to wait for the opportune moment."

Hendry caught his captain's eyes and nodded subtly at him. He walked against the back bars of their room and slowly began to apply pressure with his foot. Despite being impossible to pick the lock or escape without notice, Jack had Hendry make one known fail safe, just in case of mutiny. That's why Jack made him Master of Arms.

"Dead men tell no tales," Cotton's parrot screeched.

"True, Mr. Cotton," Jack said looking up at him, "But we're not dead yet."

* * *

Kat eventually pushed herself from the ground. What kind of pirate was she clawing at the floor in helplessness? This was her crew and her ship. She was not going to let some land loving, son of a bitch steal everything from her.

She pulled herself to the large windows and looked outside to see one of the naval ships floating not far off shore finally in view now that she wasn't on the bed. She gave a heavy sigh and looked at the ground. Before she could think any further, her father came through the door.

"Why are you doing this?" she stood tall, never showing fear though it ran cold in her veins.

"Why am I doing this?" he asked agitated. He leaned over her and grabbed at the shirt she wore and pulled on the fabric on her arm, "This is why I'm doing this! You don't belong here!"

"Why do people keep saying that?" Kat asked exasperated, "I belong here just as much as any person belongs!"

"No, you don't," he sighed, "As much as it pains me to bring you back to Port Royal and pass you as my daughter... I have another possibility of a match for you. I had him waiting just in case Captain Belstrude didn't work as I planned."

"Waiting?"

"You remember Mr. Whit?"

"He is twice my age and has been married three times already," she shook her head in disgust, "He is not-"

"He is perfect for you," he nodded and paced as he planned it out, "After your separation from this pirate, you will need some one to bring you back to earth. Get you to forget about all this nonsense and start on a family."

"This is not nonsense!" Kat said hurt, "And a family? His oldest son is three years my senior! You are being irrational and holding nothing in your mind, but insane thoughts!"

"Irrational? Insane?" he yelled, slapping her in the face and sending her down onto Jack's bed, "I will show you insanity!"

He walked over to a table where a small mirror was laying face up and brought it up to Kat's face, "This! Do you see? You are trying to become someone you are not! A pirate! Now, that is insanity!"

"No!" Kat knocked the mirror out of his hands and let it fall onto the bed, "Don't you see? Can you not open your eyes? Look around, this is lunacy! Capturing men when they cannot defend themselves and I know you do not think of just letting them go. You mean to kill them."

"And why not?" he got up in a casual fashion and stood over by the table where Jack had food spread out and popped a grape in his mouth, "No one will miss them when they are gone."

"I will. And they have the right to live their life the way they want to, just as any other," Kat said getting up, "Just like you and I."

"Do not dare contrast me with their kind, Katerina!" he stepped forward.

"Let them go! Let the crew go! Let Jack go," Kat pleaded, "They have nothing to do with this! This is between you and I."

"Let me figure this all out," he started again and turned the conversation from going down a familiar road, "You are not coming back with me. You want to stay with that ruffian because you love him. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Kat said sternly.

"Even if it means death?" he pulled out his pistol and pointed it at her head.

Kat was unmoved by his threat and didn't even blink from the blunt move. She even leaned her forehead against the barrel of the gun and pushed back against him, "I love him to no end, sir. I would die for him."

He put down the pistol and unlocked it from its firing position, "Damn! Why do you have to make this so difficult?"

"Because I am telling the truth," Kat said standing up against her father.

"The truth," he laughed unbelieving and pointed at her, "You are just like her. Just like Cecilia."

"What are you talking about?"

"She begged me to be truthful with you. To be kind and let you in," he said and waved his pistol, "All I wanted was my boys and she couldn't understand."

"Who would ever think that there would be enough love to spare for your first child?" she spat in sarcasm, "How could she even think of it?"

"It was a hard thing to do."

"It never seemed that way to me," Kat shrugged, "I never saw it. I only saw you bringing home treats and presents and giving all three of us time and what I assumed was love."

"Then I pulled it off well," he shot her a look, "Cecilia gave me another fight about it one day. I had to take a walk that night. Had to chat with some associates. Didn't think that it would be the last time I would see her. I left quite angry and needed to drink my worries away."

"You-" her voice was caught in her throat, she didn't know what to say, "You are as much in fault as I am."

"No!" he pulled the pistol back up to her face, "You are the one that started that blaze, sending your mother and brothers to their deaths."

"I will not believe that," Kat put her head up, with tears in the back of her throat, "As much as I will not believe that a father could stop loving his daughter."

"Believe it," he looked down the barrel of the pistol, "Now, are you going to renounce your love and come back home?"

Kat looked around the room and then back into his eyes, "I am home."

Kat heard a shot, but knew that she wasn't dead. She was still standing tall in front of him, whom still had the pistol raised. She looked at the pistol barrel, it was slightly askew to the right and a little smoldering from the pistol's last shot. He shot past her and into a full bottle of rum sitting on the side of the table.

'Oh, Jack's going to be fuming about that one,' Kat thought to herself.

Benikins unloaded the bullet from the pistol and loaded in another. Kat watched him the whole while, wondering if the next one would be for her. After he loaded the pistol once again he took her by the arm and led her outside the captain's doors. The guards looked at him with curiosity.

"Get me the Captain," he said with anger dripping his voice, "The pirate captain. Make sure his hands are tied behind his back tightly."

The guard left and went down to the brig to get the pirate. Kat looked at the man with worry on where his next move would lead. Where ever it was, it would more than likely leave Jack dead on the deck of his own ship.

"How did you find me?" Kat asked watching her father play with his pistol.

"The captain had the brilliant idea of following the ships that left the harbor the day you ran. We found a left behind crew member of the Silver Maiden who said a woman was on board for a while. Sound familiar?" Kat's eyes widened as he continued, "The man was very helpful. He gave up your name, description, even where he thought you would be heading. He said it was the least he could do to get you back for what you did to him."

"Pidus," Kat growled at his name, "That scumbag."

"Yes I do believe that was his name. I can't exactly remember. Eventually, the chase ended here."

Two guards carried Jack up the stairs and made him drop to his knees. Jack looked toward Kat and saw the already apparent hand imprint on her cheek that her father gave her in the cabin right over the nearly healed bruise from Belstrude. He looked at her with a worried face and turned toward her father, but instead saw a pistol aimed straight at him.

"You say you would die for him?" Benikins said out loud questioning Kat, "Let's give it a test."

"No," Kat stepped forward making an official step forward and hold her back by the midsection.

"This bullet _is_ going to be fired," he gave her an evil smile, "But into whose head is the question."

Kat thought for a minute and looked down at her side where she could see the official's pistol loaded and ready to shoot at his side. Without a second thought, Kat grabbed the pistol from his side and aimed it, cocked back at her father's head. She gave the official such a start that he fell back over the railing and into the water below. She may have been five feet from her father at the moment, but it wasn't too far away for her not to make a clean shot. The officers on the ship raised their rifles up at her, ready to fire on command.

"He dies, and you die!" she clearly stated placing her finger on the trigger.

"You really think this wise, girl?" her father questioned, pushing Jack down when he tried to get up to protect Kat, "There are at least twelve rifle barrels pointed at you. You kill me and you die as well."

"Yes, it doesn't look that good for me, but neither does it for you," Kat said keeping her eyes on him, but also making sure that the authorities around her did not try to take the pistol from her, "If you shoot him, I shoot you, they shoot me, we have a very bloody deck. If you turn around and shoot me, I fire at you regardless and we both die, leaving these wonderful military men no target. But if you think to put down the pistol, get back on your ship, return to Port Royal, and leave me alone here with Jack, no one will have to die."

"See, the problem with that is… I don't win. And I always win," he said making sure the pistol aimed at Jack's head was ready to shoot. He would have his revenge on his love's killer. What better way to do so than kill the one they love the most, "I do believe it is his time to die."

"You're signing another death warrant. Just when you decided to go out drinking with your associates and led me to kill our family," Kat shouted gaining his attention along with the attention of the other men around them, "It wasn't my fault that mother, Caleb and Jacob died. It was yours."

"That's preposterous!" he blurted, "You started that fire!"

"Mother lit that fire. She's also the one that took out those books," Kat felt a tear roll off her cheek, but still kept the pistol steady, "She always did when you two had a fight and you left."

"What?" her father dropped the pistol at his side and looked at her.

"You know what you were supposed to be doing that night? Do you remember?" Kat said tears chocking her voice, "You were supposed to be teaching me how to read maps while mother was teaching the boys how to read books. She wanted me to be well rounded and able to help my future husband in whatever he needed. That's what you two argued about that night. Remember now?!"

His face dropped to the wood and then back up at her, "You are telling the truth, but what does that have to do with the fire?"

"While mother read the book to us and taught us about ships and sailing... All I could think about was what _you_ had taught me. About pirates and their ships and how they should all be destroyed," she ground her teeth together and then took another breath, "Mother taught me a very valuable lesson that night. She told me, 'One man is not better than the other because of what he is labeled. He is better for who he is- his character, his beliefs, his heart...there are ruffians out there in the world, but not all of them are going to be branded with a 'P'. And not all gentleman are going to wear fine jackets and Naval Uniforms.' She gave me her locket and told me that it was a gift- from a pirate. It represented the love that she had for my father. I was so happy that I danced around the room, thinking that I now had around my neck the true meaning of love between my parents. Thinking if you saw it on me... maybe you would love me more."

"No…" it was his turn to let out a light whisper, "It's not true."

Jack looked on with surprise and intrigue on his face. He never heard the whole story and was a little curious to know it at last. He looked at Kat's face which was focused on her father's reactions to the story.

"I ran from the room to find my only friend outside of my brothers. I wanted to show her the pretty that I received. Smoke filled the hallways and we ran back. Through the smoke I could hear mother call for me. As she was dying she was worried for me. She stopped me from going back into that room. She told me to stay away. Even as she was accepting her fate, she tried to save the only child she could. Dena saved me from being crushed and I blacked out. The next time I saw the man I called father, I found a man that was a stranger. I found a man that pushed me away. I thought that my father too had died in that fire along with mother," Kat finished with tears down each side of her face.

"As did my sons!" he screamed pointing the pistol at Jack's head once again, "Maybe I can take the one thing the murderer holds dear!"

There was a crack of a pistol shot that ran through the air. A single pistol hit the ground with a loud thud, clicking, but the gunpowder never ignited. Jack looked up with surprise as a pair of feet stumbled to find support from the blast.

Benikins looked around him to find that none of the soldiers that he took along with him were shooting. They were standing at attention, with their rifles down by their sides. His anger grew and he uplifted his head to the next in command, demanding an explanation. And then he saw it. His hand was covered in blood, as was his jacket. He looked down to find that the blast was indeed was from his daughter's pistol and that she made a perfect shot into his chest.

Kat lowered the steaming pistol to her side and let the silent tears fall down her face. Arthur Benikins stumbled again over to the railing and kept a tight grip to keep steady.

"Im…possible… you never learned how to… to shoot," he chocked.

"It's amazing what you can learn on a pirate ship," Kat said barely able to talk.

He took one last look at his daughter, rolled his eyes back and fell back over the railing and onto the dock beneath the ship. Kat dropped the pistol from her grip as if it was on fire and fell to her knees. She leaned forward and wrapped herself into a small ball, her arms wrapped around her middle to keep the sobs at bay.

Soon enough she felt arms on her shoulders and tried to shrug them off thinking it was one of the soldiers. She turned around and saw a blurred version of Jack looking down at her. Behind him she saw that the crew had come up from below deck with weapons and surrounded the two of them. Anamaria held a small knife that she had undoubtedly cut Jack's rope with. She looked into Jack's eyes, immediately jumped into his arms, and started to cry into his shoulder. He gladly held her tightly in his grasp and rocked her a little while sitting on the deck.

"Shh," he cooed, trying to calm her, "It's all over now, Kat. I'm here. It's all over."

The Lieutenant came over to them and squatted to be eye to eye with Kat, "Miss… I'm sorry for your loss."

Kat opened her eyes and looked up at the same soldier that escorted her into the captain's quarters, but still gave her a look of such compassion. She knew as soon as he said it, that the loss he was talking about wasn't for her father. It was for her family. She smiled a bit and pulled her head up.

"Thank you," she said, "No one has ever said that to me before."

He nodded and stood up with his eyes looking out toward the sea, "You know, it's a nasty thing when pirates attack a ship."

"Sir?" Kat asked wiping her tears.

"The attack that happened on our ship on our way back from finding you. We found you, alone, and scared. While we were bringing you back a pirate ship overtook us and we ended up losing three."

Both Kat and Jack looked at each other a bit confused and then realized what he was saying. Kat asked, "Which three would that be, sir?"

"Both of the Benikins and our captain," he said with a smirk, "I'll be rounding up my men and we'll be out of port by sun down."

Jack helped Kat up and supported her from behind, "Which pirate ship attacked you?"

"I didn't catch the name, but it was somewhere along the lines of the Harbinger. It's been a ship that we have been tracking for some time now."

Kat smiled, "Wait!"

The officer stopped and watched as Kat went inside Jack's cabin. He turned to look at Jack for an explanation. Jack looked at him and shrugged his shoulders in a 'I don't know' fashion. Kat soon came out with a folded piece of paper with the name Harriet scribbled on the outside.

"Can you make sure she gets that?" Kat asked, "This needs to go to Harriet Blener."

He nodded his head as he knew exactly where to deliver it. He stuffed it in his breast pocket and turned around. Kat watched as the officer led his men off the Black Pearl and down into the port to get back on their ship. Jack looked down at Kat and gave her a small hug from behind.

"You think he was telling the truth?"

"I know he was, Jack," Kat leaned back into him, "I can tell a good man when I see one."


	21. Chapter 21

**Epilogue:**

Harriet looked out the window facing the open sea, looking at the sunrise just as Kat used to do. She wondered what had happened to Kat and Jack, especially if Arthur Benikins caught up with them. It had been over two weeks since he left port with Captain Belstrude in their pursuit of Kat after she ran down the aisle. She leaned against the windowpane and just watched the sun flood the sky and bay with light. She gave a small smile as she felt hope enter through her heart. They were still alive… and they found each other. They were happy. They just had to be.

"Harriet?"

Harriet turned to her name being called and saw Dena standing a few feet from her, unsure on whether or not to approach. Harriet nodded and waved for her to come over, "I am just watching the sunrise. Kat taught me."

"She was always full of lessons, she was," Dena nodded and held her friend's hand in comfort.

Before long Harriet felt something tug on her nightgown and she looked down to see little Olivia looking up at her. Harriet smiled and grabbed her daughter up in her arms. They both looked at the sunrise together with Dena and watched some of the ships leave the port toward the morning sun. Then far in the distance, Harriet could see a naval ship coming back into port. After a few moments, she realized it was the same ship that her uncle sailed out on to track down his daughter. She turned around and faced her bedroom door which was still wide open.

"Robert!" she yelled for her husband.

In the bedroom Robert shot his eyes open and rolled off the huge bed with surprise. He picked himself up, rubbing his head from the hit against the side table and looked at the bed to find his wife missing. He stood to his full height and hurried out of the room, barely able to get his robe tied around him. He made the last knot on his robe as he came up next to his housekeeper, wife and daughter.

"Harriet, what is the matter, darling?" he asked a little annoyed by the time and by the matter of his rude awakening, "The sun has barely come over the water."

"Robert," Harriet started still looking into the bay, "It's the Interceptor. It's sailing back into the bay."

"They couldn't have… found her," he mumbled and hurried back into the bedroom. He found some of his casual clothes and walked past Harriet and Olivia toward the door.

"What do you mean to do?" Harriet asked holding her husband's arm before he had the chance to walk fully out of her grasp.

"Anything I can," he said softly. He placed a soft kiss on his wife's lips, kissed his daughter on the cheek and left out the doors.

"Daddy, going to fight piwates?" Olivia asked taking the big cooking spoon out of her pants and into her hand.

"Yes. The uncivilized kind of pirates… the kind who don't care who they had to kill," Harriet said stroking her daughter's hair.

Dena stood beside Harriet as down below Robert ran through the streets toward the harbor and where the Interceptor was being unloaded.

He helped it to dock, hoping that Katerina was somewhere inside, still alive. All he saw were red coats and rifles- crates and unused supplies. He walked into the ship to find Timothy- he must have preserved Katerina, if he did in fact love her. Neither were to be found. Arthur Benikins was missing as well, and Robert couldn't understand the reason why. Out of all the inhabitants on this ship, the most important of them were all missing.

As soon as he walked off the ship a hand tapped his shoulder and he turned around to face the next in command under Timothy, "You are Mister Blener. Harriet's husband, are you not?"

"My wife's name is Harriet, yes," he nodded his head.

"We have much to talk about. I must report to my superiors, but I have a message for your wife. If you would follow me, please," Robert followed him toward his post. Robert was to stay in the front room as the Lieutenant went into the other room and was pelted with questions by the new commodore.

"I'm sorry, sir, but Captain Belstrude did not survive," the man reported. Robert was on the edge of his seat when he realized he was able to overhear the conversation, "Neither did our two passengers."

"Two? I understood that you only had Mr. Benikins on board."

"We did until we found his daughter alone in a port not too far from our own," he took a deep breath, "We found her alone and took her back on board. She couldn't handle that kind of life on her own and had been through Hell- if you can excuse my term, commodore. As we were sailing back here we were attacked by a pirate ship."

"It wasn't the Black Pearl, was it?"

"No, it was the Harbinger, from what I recall," he put his head down and continued, "They took the two Benikins on board and were going to ransom them. The captain tried to get over to the ship to rescue them, but he was shot before he was even on the enemy's ship. Some of the men were killed, understandably, but we couldn't get to the two Benikins on the other ship. They were both killed by stray fire."

Robert's breath and voice was caught in his throat. The news of Kat's death was a huge shock to him. There was no way she could actually be dead. Not before she reached Jack Sparrow. She didn't even get to say goodbye.

"How did you get away?" the commodore asked, eyeing the lieutenant.

"We later realized that the Harbinger was low on ammunition and soon sailed off out of our sights. We didn't have enough time to shoot back."

"Ah, that ship does have a history of outrunning even our most astonishing ships," the commodore's scratchy voice echoed through the room, "Belstrude was a good man. I hope he rests in peace."

"As do I sir."

"You are excused."

The soldier stood up and exited the room where he found Robert with tears in his eyes. He looked down at the man and understood that he shouldn't go back to his home with him to deliver the letter. After all, he could be the one blamed for killing one of his family members.

"I'll give you a carriage back to your home," the soldier offered Robert.

Robert shook his head and stood up, "No… I'd rather walk. It is only up the road."

"Then before you go," the soldier took a letter out of his pocket and handed it to him, "It is for your wife. Miss Benikins wanted to see that she got it if anything happened to her."

Robert nodded, but then looked up at the soldier, "Her name was Kat."

The soldier nodded and walked toward his men and the rest of the supplies.

Robert walked into his home slowly all the while looking at the letter in his hand. It was addressed to Harriet and he dare didn't open it without her permission. As soon as the door was closed Harriet hurried down the stairs now completely dressed and out of her night gown. Dena was right behind her with the next load of laundry on her hip.

"I didn't see, Kat," Harriet asked worried, "Where is she?"

"She wanted you to have this," Robert didn't look her in the eyes and slowly handed her the letter. He slowly slipped into the living room and into one of his chairs.

"What is it?" Harriet's voice shook, along with her hand.

"Something she wanted you to have before she died," Robert's voice shook at the last word.

Dena dropped the laundry load and her hands flew to her mouth in a horrified gasp, "No."

"Died?" Harriet hurried over to her husband's side, kneeling on the ground next to his chair, "You cannot truly tell me that my cousin is dead."

"I heard it, straight from the lieutenant's mouth. Timothy and Arthur are also dead. A pirate ship over took them on their way back. All three along with some soldiers were killed."

"What about Jack?"

"They never found him," Robert never once looked into his wife's eyes, knowing perfectly well she was crying just as bad as he was, "He wasn't there to save her. Not this time."

Harriet fell the rest of the way to the ground and looked at the shaking letter in her hand. She pushed herself to sit on the couch at the side of the room and gave herself enough courage to open the letter. Meanwhile, Robert had called Olivia over to sit on his lap to try and explain to a three year old that her favorite person in the world was gone.

Harriet began to read and before she reached the end of the last sentence her tears began to dry and her face grew a smile, "Robert! Dena! She's alive!"

He turned to her and tripped over an ottoman on his way as Olivia ran ahead of him.

Dena's head snapped quickly to the side and she ran to Harriet's other side, "What?"

"Listen to this:

_Harriet, I know you must think me wicked to trick you like that, but it had to be done. I am not dead. I am just the opposite; I am finally able to live. What you have heard about my father and Timothy is true, they both have died. Timothy attacked me and fought dishonorably- ready to stab a man in the back. Jack killed him. Arthur Benikins…he was about to kill everyone, I had to do something. I shot him and he soon died afterward._

_Stick with the lieutenant's story, he is a good man and will not turn Jack nor I in. That is another thing I need to tell you. I found him; I am living happily on the Black Pearl_ _. You do not need to worry about me. Maybe once Jack is no longer wanted in Port Royal_ _we will come back. Jack did promise Olivia that he would come back and give her at least one ride on the_ _Pearl. I miss you all terribly. Give Olivia a kiss for me._

_Love, Katerina"_

Robert looked at her with a smile and looked down at Olivia, "Did you hear that? Your Kat is doing fine."

"And she will come back!" Olivia jumped up and started to prance around the room, "I goin' to be a piwate! Like Uncle Jack and Kitty Kat!"

Robert came over and kissed his wife, "This calls for a celebration," he went into the kitchen and soon came out with a wine bottle and some ale for Olivia.

"So, what should we toast?" he looked at his wife and poured another glass for Dena as well.

"We toast Kat and Jack and their new life together," she tipped her glass to his and all three drank down the wine, "Let them see plenty of new horizons."

Harriet leaned against the large window down at the sea. There was never a more relaxing sight. She would go to the Turner household later and tell them of the good news. She would have to make sure they understood to keep it under wraps, if it leaked out, she would have to worry about two warrants. She would work to get Jack's name cleared in Port Royal so she wouldn't need to worry about another shooting or hanging.

A little later that day a man came to the home and presented Robert and Harriet with a bundle of papers. It seemed that Harriet was the only living connection to the Benikins fortune and inherited all of it. Harriet had received dozens of riches in one day, but she still had to wonder, how many riches her cousin would find in her new life.

* * *

Kat stretched out long on the bed as the sun started its way across the room and toward the bed. She blinked her eyes open and took a moment to look over the room and reassure herself that she was there. The dark wood and embellishments that surrounded her gave her comfort when she knew others would find it unnerving. Without much thought, she curled back down into the blankets before she tried to compel herself from the bed. Her hand slipped out and smoothed it against the other side of the bed to find it empty. From the look of the sun it was close to mid morning. Of course he would be up by now, probably at the helm in preparation of their new course.

"Okay, Kat. Enough of this sleeping in business," she scolded herself and rolled out of the bed, "You have work to do, I am sure of it."

The clothes that were rumpled in her bag were relatively clean and she tossed them on quickly. With a deep breath she opened the door out to the deck to see the new morning. It was as if a weight had been lifted from the Pearl. The air was crisp and clean and a sweet breeze caressed her face just as it had done many times before. She closed her eyes and her hand went to her locket without a thought. It felt like she was here and she was happy for her daughter. That was enough for Kat.

The crew of the Black Pearl had left Tortuga a full day and a half after the Interceptor sailed back to Port Royal. The crew wanted and deserved a proper shore leave than what they got and Jack knew that he could use the break as well. It would also give Kat some time to actually grieve if she needed. It takes a lot to come to terms with killing a man. Jack expected that it was even worse when that man was your own father.

After the extended stay it was back to the open ocean again. There were ports to plunder and stores to loot. Kat was happy to set sail again. She was eager to see how her sails held up in her absence and to see a new sunrise, now free to enjoy them.

She walked below the others who were working hard to get the sails back in flawless working condition and reminded herself to take a look at them later today for rips. She spotted Anamaria and they both shared a smiled and a wave to one another. Anamaria nodded her head toward the helm to let Kat know where Jack had gone off to. Kat waved again as a thank you and headed for the helm. She passed a few of the crew mates on her way. Mister Henders was going over the new acquirement from the port with Kusar who shot her a smile. She passed by Lejon and Duncan who were once again arguing over the rigging lines. Mister Cotton was near the bottom of the stairs a piece of whittled wood in between his hands. Kat took a moment and looked at the piece.

"That's a beautiful piece, Mr. Cotton. I didn't know that you were that skilled. Here I thought Kusar was the only carpenter on board," she admired what looked to be a pair of sparrows on a rough branch as Cotton also took a look over his piece. He blew off some pieces from the branches and continued on with Kat as his audience. She tilted her head with an arched brow, "Any special significance?"

Mr. Cotton only smiled as his parrot was sleeping on his shoulder quite soundly. Kat smiled back with a small chuckle and climbed the stairs to the deck.

At the helm was none other than the captain himself. A smirk crossed his face when he saw her clear the stairs.

"Good morning, luv," he greeted her with a small kiss to her hairline when she was close enough, "About time you got up."

"Good morning to you too," she elbowed him gently in the side. She then hugged him and slipped in to fit right next to his side, "Why didn't you wake me?"

"You needed your sleep," he held her as he steered, "I tired you out and its good to sleep off the tears from the last couple of days."

"You tired me out?" she laughed next to him and moved so that she was in front of him and settled between him and the wheel, "I do seem to remember it was quite the opposite, Captain Sparrow."

"And yet I was still up at dawn," he countered and shifted his arms to be on either side of her and on the large wheel. He laughed at her pout and reached for his compass on his belt. He flipped it open and looked down at the arrow. It pointed straight ahead at Kat and he grumbled.

"Compass broken, love?" Kat asked with her eyes half lidded.

Jack smirked and leaned in to steal a searing kiss. As their lips separated the needle moved from Kat and the point began to tilt from the most Eastern point and the South West.

"It's working just fine." Jack laughed deep in his chest.

"It still can't decide where to go?" Kat asked a little out of breath.

"I'll let you decide," he shut the compass with a click before it dropped back to his side, still connected on his belt.

"What are my choices?" Kat asked and looked in the direction of both options.

"One is a fantastic loot score within a few days East of us. Big ship, little guns. Fairly easy- highly profitable," Jack wiggled his fingers against the handles on the wheel on either side of her.

"Sounds like an easy job," she nodded, "What's the other one?"

"More adventure, higher danger- and island that is not supposed to exist with an even more highly improbable treasure of legend," he nodded the other direction toward the South West with a single finger pointed up which tapped at the end of her nose, "Luck would not be in our favor, I'm afraid. A challenge to be sure."

"Well, be it far from me to give up on a challenge," she smirked up at him and saw that look in his eyes when he was about to find something shiny or something tasty of the alcohol variety, "What kind of treasure of legend are we talking about?"

"One that's worthy of your talents," he assured her and turned the wheel to the South West. He grabbed her next to his side and began to hum his favorite song.

"We're devils and black sheep..."

"And really bad eggs," Kat finished without thinking.

Kat smiled again up at her Captain Sparrow and then back out at the open sea ahead of them. There was a new horizon now waiting ahead for both of them.

END


End file.
